The restoration of Selmun Palace continues to be delayed, two years after the government promised restoration works would start on the landmark tower.

The palace in the village of Selmun is the largest of all such towers built by the Knights of the Order of St John. It was scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument in 2012.

A year before, the Selmun Palace Hotel - which included the tower and was run by a subsidiary of Air Malta - was shut down when the airline restructured its operations to focus solely on its aviation business. 

The airline hoped to sell the property for at least €8.4 million. But its efforts were unsuccessful and the property was instead sold to the government. 

It has remained vacant and derelict ever since, despite a 2015 consultation plan issued by PA predecessor Mepa and a declaration in 2018 by then-minister Edward Scicluna that work was underway to sell the hotel and palace.

In January 2022, parliament had been told that the hotel remained in government hands and that restoration of the Selmun tower would kick off by the end of the year.

But over two years later, Minister for Lands Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said the process for the government's reclamation of the Selmun area, including the palace and the hotel was still ongoing. The company that had the concession of the area was being liquidated, the PL MP said.

The minister was answering questions by PN MP Robert Cutajar, who has been following rehabilitation plans for the Selmun area for over a decade.

The Opposition included the site in its electoral manifesto, proposing a national park in the area, roping in Selmun, l-Imġiebaħ, Fort Campbell, Mistra and St Paul's Islands.  

In his latest parliamentary query, Cutajar asked the Lands Ministry for an update on the tendering process to restore and maintain Selmun palace - a process which he said had kicked off under the Finance Minister and stopped all of a sudden.