Detailed plans to expand on a ‘master plan’ for a motorsports racetrack in Hal Far are in the pipeline, President of the Malta Motorsport Federation (MMF) Duncan Micallef has told The Malta Independent.
Discussions on the development of a racetrack up to international standard have been ongoing for years, and Prime Minister Robert Abela in 2021 announced intentions to plan and develop a racetrack in Hal-Far.
Included in these plans was also the intention to upgrade existing racing circuits in the area.
The Malta Independent reached out to Micallef to ask for an update about the racetrack plans and also about a planning application filed earlier this year that would see upgrades made to the existing drag race track.
Asked about the drag strip, Micallef explained that the existing drag strip is not homologated to European standards. He said that this investment is intended to get the strip up to FIA homologation standards to open up the possibility of hosting international events on the track. “Amongst them, as we have been promised by FIA themselves, is to be part of the European Championship calendar.”
Asked about the likely duration of these works, Micallef said that if everything goes as planned, the work on the drag strip should begin in December and take no longer than 10 months to be completed. “I'm calculating that as long as nothing happens and everything goes well, we should be finished by Q3 next year.”
Micallef said that the quarter mile track, the karting track and the proposed race track would collectively be double the area of the Ta Qali stadium and adjacent football training grounds combined in terms of scale, making it one of the most expansive development projects in Malta.
Moving on to the topic of the racetrack, Micallef said that they have appointed the best designers in the world to work on the project. “We already paid half their contract free, so we’re in a very advanced state right now. You could say we’re in a position where we can send the detailed application as well.” He said that there is already an overall “master plan” for the area and that they are currently in the process of preparing a more detailed plan. “The master plan was submitted in 2021. Now we’re looking to file more detailed applications.”
This newsroom did not find a planning application for a master plan on the Planning Authority's Geoserver.
However an application with the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) to determine whether an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) would be required for the racetrack project had been filed. The ERA website lists that no such EIA is required, but the current status is listed as “awaiting further updates.”
As for the application to upgrade the drag strip in particular, the planning application was updated on the 26th of January.
“One needs to understand that this is not a simple process,” said the MMF President, “I’m involved in property development and I know what it requires.” He said that those who complain do so because they do not understand the process and added that those involved in the field understand the process they are going through. “In development, the more time goes on, the more complicated it gets … Nowadays even to build a block of flats is difficult, imagine a project like this.”
Regarding potential objections to the development, he said that the project is moving along according to policies. “We applied for the permits. I don’t imagine that because we’re doing things according to permits and policies they’re going to be against it now, when this area has existed for 40 years.”
Micallef concluded by saying that motorsport enthusiasts are in support of MMF’s work. “What we do is for them, I'm a volunteer. If there is someone more capable than me then he'll take my place, in the end it's not mine. This is something we do for our children.”