The White Rocks development has been in limbo for many years.

The whole saga dates back to the year 2000 and since then one proposal after another has fallen through. But 2018 saw the latest proposal made. Being left in an abandoned state, the project had been dangled before the public’s eyes in 2018.

Then the cracks began to show. Reports were written about the dispute in terms of the price for the site. News reports were published that an agreement was soon to be found… but that never happened.

Now, years down the line, and the project is still nowhere to be seen. The Economy Ministry has opted to outright ignore questions by The Malta Independent for an update about the project. A situation very similar to the Muscat regime, where some ministries ignored questions when they didn’t like them. A decision that runs counter to the ideals of transparency and what is in the public interest.

When it comes to major projects and deals that the government is involved in, the people should be kept in the loop at all stages, and the public should definitely be better informed of the prices that are being negotiated.

Tony Zahra, who forms part of the consortium who the government was negotiating with, did however respond, but only said that the consortium remains committed to their development proposal.

The site in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq covers an area of 450,000 square metres, which includes the complex built by the British Forces in the 1960s. The last plans for the White Rocks site were made by the White Rocks Development Consortium in 2018 who wanted to develop the area into a mixed-use complex, which would include a seven-star luxury hotel along with leisure, hospitality, residential and commercial units.

Given that no deal has been found however, perhaps the government should start considering alternative uses. Some have argued that the site should be turned into a green area. Why not? It’s as good an idea as any. Far better than leaving the site in its current state and it would be giving the land back to the people and preserving more open areas.

After all, do we really need another hotel? Do we really need more apartments and shops? Would it not be better to leave more green space for future generations?

If that is out of the question, then at least make sure that the development is done tastefully.

This brings about another point, overall planning design. Given that the site is by the sea in an area that is not really built up, low lying buildings with a good amount of open space would definitely be the way to go in terms of appealing design, with ample greenery added on. It is not clear whether this is what the developers would have in mind, but then again it is the Planning Authority that is meant to get final say over what should be allowed. The Authority should be mindful of the overall look of Malta’s coastline.