A new Labour government will do its utmost to regenerate the Cottonera area as it has great touristic and cultural potential, said Opposition Leader Alfred Sant yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference in front of the derelict Dock Number 1 in Cospicua, Dr Sant said that successive Nationalist Party governments had always promised projects to regenerate the area and this had been going on for over 10 years, but still nothing had been done.
He said that the Labour Party is currently in the process of reviewing its policies on tourism and the environment and will be presenting the relative documents at the party’s annual general conference at the end of this month.
In 1996-98, said Dr Sant, the Labour government had come up with a workable and concrete plan for the Cottonera area, with particular reference to Dock Number 1. In 1998 and 2000, a PN government had come up with proposals including the construction of a hotel, offices, flats and even 30 apartments, but everything had stalled, with no progress ever being made.
The Labour leader said that Minister Jesmond Mugliett had indicated that work on the refurbishment of Dock Number 1 was supposed to start this year but apparently the target date had now shifted to 2007.
Other projects in the area, including an underground car park and hotel in St Margaret Square, were also still on the back burner with no action being taken and refurbishment of the Old Treasury building on the Cospicua waterfront had also been left to deteriorate, he added.
Dr Sant said that the Labour Party had also set up a committee for Cottonera to examine the possibility of projects to rehabilitate the area and to combat illiteracy, one of Cottonera’s chronic problems.
The committee had also embarked on a series of initiatives, including a Cottonera tourist map and courses for young people in preparation for work opportunities, he said.
Cospicua mayor Joe Scerri also addressed the press conference and said that the council had no idea what was in store for the area, as the ministry chose not to consult with them.