Little progress appears to have been made to the Ta’ Qali crafts village, a year after the area, touted as a tourist attraction, was described as a “ghost town” by visitors to the island.

The man heading the project insists it is “operational”, with development works the responsibility of tenants, some of whom are facing legal action.

In summer last year, bemused tourists expressed their surprise at being greeted by an attraction still being developed, with multiple sites walled off and still under construction.

At the time, Jean Pierre Attard, the executive chairperson of INDIS, the government agency running the site, described the project as “one big mess”. It was his “dream” for the attraction to be fully open by December this year, he had asserted.

However, when Times of Malta visited the crafts village again earlier this month, that dream appeared not to have been realised. 

Numerous sites were still under construction with some in a state similar to that of the year before. 

Some buildings had seen work but they are still incomplete, sporting windowless apertures and boarded-up or empty entrances. Many sites were not even that far progressed, however, with excavation works and derelict patches of land clearly visible behind mesh construction walls. 

Piles of concrete blocks, cones and other material littered the sites, which, in many cases, were overgrown with weeds. A pile of pallets with rusty nails sticking out was carelessly left in a public walkway.

Times of Malta did not notice any construction workers at the craft village during its visit.

What do visitors think?

Most visitors this month – of whom there appeared not to be many – seemed surprised at the state of the area and said they thought it should have been completed earlier.

“It should have been done ages ago... a lot of the buildings are still not even done yet,” said Mark Brown.

UK tourist Robin Thornton said it had “great potential” but pointed to “derelict areas that look a bit scruffy”.

Gozo resident Graham Gallacher said he “thought we were further along” and US tourist John Van Weeren said he would like to think the craft village would look “nice when finished... [but] there’s some work to do”. He was not surprised, though, by the state the area was in, saying he had become used to a “variety of situations in Malta”, based on past visits.

Not all visitors seemed put off though; Marija, who declined to provide her surname, said she thought it looked “very nice”.

Business owners who spoke on condition of anonymity said they had not noticed much activity taking place in the area over the past year.

‘Site is operational’

Contacted again this year, Attard stressed that, with plots leased out through temporary emphyteusis (a type of land rent) agreements, development works were the responsibility of the tenants.

He said eight sites had been built in the past year and three had been excavated and were under construction, with the remaining plots “awaiting clearance from the relevant authorities”.

Attard did not clarify how many of the 16 plots taken over by INDIS last year had been built but said all tenants who had “accepted assistance” from the agency had seen their buildings finished to shell form.

He said INDIS’s role was “limited to initial construction” to speed up the process, with internal finishing and apertures “the sole responsibility of the tenants”.

The agency was pursuing legal action against seven tenants, with four in court and three having been served judicial letters, he said. Two sites had been returned to the government by “mutual agreement”.

A pile of broken pallets with rusty nails sticking out was carelessly left in a public walkway.

“The crafts village is operational, with several artisans running their premises and attracting visitors. The next challenge is to increase footfall and efforts are already underway,” said Attard. 

“Several activities are being held more frequently, such as the Christmas event held earlier this month, which saw positive participation,” he said.

Addressing safety concerns, Attard said INDIS monitored the craft village with CCTV cameras and patrolled the area, “addressing safety and illegal dumping promptly”.

“INDIS remains committed to maintaining and developing the crafts village as a thriving hub for artisans and visitors while increasing its appeal through events and new initiatives.”