The Parliamentary Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Tonio Fenech and US Ambassador Molly Bordonaro yesterday finalised the sale of the property in Ta’ Qali, which will house the new US embassy building. Ambassador Bordonaro presented Parliamentary Secretary Fenech with a cheque to the amount of $18.5 million, the equivalent of approximately Lm6 million.
The site is zoned as a commercial and industrial area in the most recent Ta’ Qali Action Plan. It used to house a number of buildings, including the old vote-counting hall, which Maltese contractors have cleared in the past few weeks.
When complete, the embassy will be flanked on one side by a number of companies, including Sign-It and Attard Brothers, and on the other side by a residential area of Attard. The new embassy will in no way interfere with the National Park, nor will it impede the public’s access to the recreational facilities, the Department of Information said yesterday.
The site will incorporate the Chancery with several other buildings which the US Government now rents in various parts of the island, namely a warehouse, the residence of the small Marine Security Detachment (which provides security inside the embassy) and a large parking area for staff and for visitors to the embassy.
The Consular Section, in particular, has been designed to ensure privacy and comfort for visa applicants and other patrons. The embassy property will be landscaped to enhance the natural environment and to reflect both American and Maltese traditions. The buildings will include many environmentally-friendly features and will conform to the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
Maltese police and guards will provide security at the new complex as they currently do at the embassy in Floriana.
The US embassy has applied for the necessary permits from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Construction of the new embassy building is expected to begin once all the permits have been granted and the US government gives its final approval to begin the project.
Prior to construction, the US embassy will publish on its website requests for bids from local companies to participate in the construction. The project will inject millions of liri into the Maltese economy.
Ambassador Bordonaro expressed her appreciation for the excellent bilateral relations which exist between the Maltese government and the US government and her gratitude to the Maltese parliament for its unanimous approval of the sale of land and the construction of the new US embassy in Malta.
More information concerning the project may be accessed from the US embassy’s website at: http://malta.usembassy.gov.