Gozitan property magnate Joseph Portelli is seeking to develop the site of the Jerma Palace Hotel in Marsascala into a hotel and apartment complex.

Portelli said in an interview with The Times of Malta that he would be seeking to develop the area into a 500-room hotel, with 130 apartments and a public square in front of St. Thomas Tower.

“The project will blend in with the beautiful surrounding traditional buildings, shops and restaurants, and we are planning a huge square in front of St Thomas Tower, which will be able to hold large public events,” he said.

Portelli said that a design by a Maltese architect had been chosen because he “envisioned the concept different to all the others.”

“People in the south of Malta acknowledge that since the Jerma Palace closed, that part of the south died with it,” Portelli said.

The Gozitan denied that he was involved in the controversial Marsascala marina proposal, but said that he agreed with the project and that it would contribute to the aesthetic and economy of the south of the island.

“I am not trying to get involved, though. The Jerma project and the marina have nothing to do with each other and they just happened to coincide,” he said.

During the interview, Portelli also revealed that he had plans for a new stadium to be built for the football club he is President of: Hamrun Spartans.