SmartCity tenants to start operating by September

SmartCity Malta is expecting its first tenants to start operating by the middle of September, according to CEO Fareed Abdul Rahman who, however, stayed mum on their names.

Asked by The Times during a site visit by Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt yesterday, Mr Abdul Rahman would not say which were the companies with which SmartCity has finalised contracts.

The first office block, covering 12,000 square metres, will be ready by the end of July and will be officially inaugurated on October 10, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of Dubai Internet City.

The announcement of the October date brought a smile to Dr Gatt's face when he joked about the fact that it was his wife's birthday.

"We expect the first tenants to start operating by mid-September and the beginning of October," Mr Abdul Rahman said, insisting the company's marketing efforts were ongoing in several countries including Japan, Korea, Egypt and China.

After being briefed about details, such as the type of floor tiles that will be used in the new building, Dr Gatt said the completion of the first office block by July would mean SmartCity would have delivered on its commitment one year and three months in advance. This quelled media speculation that construction had slowed down and prime investor Tecom Investments had got cold feet about the mega project, Dr Gatt said.

Mr Abdul Rahman explained that, by October, the main road leading to the first office block would be ready, including landscaping on its sides. "In this way, office traffic would be kept separate from construction work traffic and, with levelling being done beforehand, the amount of dust and noise would be kept to a minimum," he said.

The second phase would see other office, retail and residential blocks going up around the central lagoon, where the hub of activity will be concentrated.

Mr Abdul Rahman said SmartCity worked well with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and described the relationship with contractors as a learning experience.