Tigné Point walkway and belvedere remain closed over bridge dispute, one year on

Tigné Point’s belvedere and suspended walkway have been closed for over a year, due to a dispute between MIDI and the Lands Authority over whose responsibility it is to repair the bridge.

Since September 27, 2024, access to these public areas, known for their views of Marsamxett harbour, has been blocked off by fencing with signs stating: “No access. Apologies for the inconvenience.”

MIDI told Times of Malta that the suspended walkway is “in a very severe state of disrepair, posing a clear health and safety risk in a public place”.

In 2000, MIDI signed a concession deed with the government that handed the company Tigné Point and Manoel Island on a 99-year emphyteusis for mixed development.

The company said that the responsibility to maintain and upkeep public areas was passed to the government on completion of the development, “irrespective of whether or not ownership has formally been transferred back to government”.

Article 12 of the deed says that the “responsibility and control” of public areas will be automatically transferred to the government upon completion of each development phase. At that point, the government becomes responsible for the “maintenance, upkeep, repair, replacement and cleanliness” of the area.

However, this automatic transfer of responsibility does not include legal ownership of the land. For this to happen, the article further states that the government must make a formal request and sign a public deed with MIDI.

MIDI added that it commissioned a report which highlighted the extent of the works and the cost and passed it on to the Lands Authority but it would not share the estimated cost repair costs saying it would be “inappropriate” to share this information.

In June, Newsbook Malta reported MIDI requested that the Lands Authority pay €900,000 to repair the steel bridge but it declined to fund the repairs saying the area has not been legally transferred back to government ownership.

Questions have been sent to the Lands Authority.

‘MIDI let the bridge deteriorate’

The chairman of the Tigné Point South Residents Association, Joe Muscat, told Times of Malta that the steel bridge needed to be maintained regularly as it was prone to corroding due to the sea salt.

“We used to tell MIDI year-in-year-out to paint over the steel with paint but they never did it. They touched up the railings but not the bridge itself,” Muscat said.

When the bridge was initially closed, MIDI said that no incidents triggered its closure; it was done as a “precautionary” measure.

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) condemned the “total lack of maintenance” that led to the deterioration of the walkway.

“It should never have been allowed to deteriorate to the point of closure, an insult to the public and to Malta’s world heritage,” it said.

Three years ago, Momentum’s Arnold Cassola raised concerns about the condition of the suspended walkway as the steel of the reinforcement bars was visible on its underside.

At the time, both MIDI and Sliema’s mayor John Pillow assured the public that there is no cause for concern. It is still unclear whether the current closure is related to previous concerns or if new issues have emerged.