A national aquarium with 26 display tanks – including one for sharks – additional recreational facilities and an improved promenade should be set up at Qawra point by the end of next year.

Excavation works have already started on the site, which is near the Qawra tower commonly known as Ta’ Fra Ben.

The aquarium will be housed in an underground building whose entrance facilities will be in a starfish-shaped shell structure, as will other facilities including restaurants, a merchandise outlet and facilities for local diving schools.

The main attraction – especially during feeding time – is set to be the main tank, which will be approximately 12 metres in diameter and which will house Indian Ocean species, including sharks. An underwater tunnel will allow visitors to watch the fish up close.

The project will cost around €15.6 million, of which €8.85 million will be provided by the European Regional Development Fund. The rest will be coming from Marine Aquatic Ltd, which will receive a 50-year concession and whose main partners are Ebcon, Elbros and New Zealand company Marinescape. No funds will be sourced from government resources, although Malta Tourism Authority CEO Josef Formosa Gauci confirmed that an unspecified amount was spent on legal consultancy fees.

The area would remain accessible and fit for swimming, architect Kenneth Borg said, adding that the upgraded promenade would even increase accessibility to other parts of the coast.

Part of the site used to be an 88-space free public car park, and a 140-space car park, spread over two levels, will be set up in its stead. When asked, however, Mr Borg could not confirm or deny whether people would be charged for its use.

The first plans to build a national aquarium date back to 1993, when the Tal-Qroqq National Pool was completed. Back then, the government considered converting the previous national pool in Marsascala into a national aquarium, although the idea was subsequently rejected due to the town’s location, away from tourist centres.

The Qawra point location was then considered, but the process was discontinued after it was deemed not to be feasible if funded solely by private sources. But Malta’s EU accession allowed the authorities to seek, and obtain, EU funds, Mr Formosa Gauci explained.

Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco added that Qawra formed part of an important tourist zone, and it deserved a landmark of its own.

He also stressed that constant investment was required in tourism, and added that the government’s input alone was not enough: The private sector also had to play its part.