Activists are not asking for Manoel Island to be expropriated, but for the contract to be renegotiated, the Manoel Island: Post Għalina Campaign said in a statement.

It was reacting to a statement made by Prime Minister Robert Abela on Sunday, who said that it would cost hundreds of millions of euro to take back Manoel Island.

The Campaign, in a statement on Monday, said that both the MIDI CEO and Prime Minister Robert Abela weighed in with their thoughts on Manoel Island. "This is a good sign; it means that the campaign has become a powerful public force which they cannot ignore. And of course it is! The call to turn Manoel Island into a public park for all to enjoy is nearing 12,000 signatories in its seventh week and has been garnering support from across the board. Clearly, and with very good reason, public opinion aligns with the campaign's aims."

The Campaign said that MIDI says "it has a contractual right for a 10-year extension due to delays experienced in the planning process. However, we question what the duration of the proposed extension is based on. MIDI only submitted a masterplan for Manoel Island eight years ago, in 2017. This makes it impossible to claim that they are due a 10-year extension based on delays experienced since then. We invite MIDI to publish their reasoning behind the claim. Until then, the public can look at the facts and come to their own conclusion."

"Secondly, Prime Minister Robert Abela mentioned that it would cost 'hundreds of millions' to expropriate Manoel Island. We are not asking Government to expropriate Manoel Island. We are asking for a renegotiation of the contract, based on the contract provisions. The news that emerged shows that the ball is very much in Government's court. Government would have to decide on any extension that MIDI may claim they are due. It is amply clear that for the project to fulfill its contractual obligations to be substantially complete, MIDI would need more time than it is due."

Government must decide on any compensation, the Campaign said, "but quoting 'hundreds of millions' goes above and beyond MIDI's fair dues. In reply to the Prime Minister's claim that 'Taking back Manoel Island ... would not be the best use of taxpayer money' it must be said that there can hardly be any better use of such money than taking measures that promote taxpayers' health and well-being."

"It has been proven that the health benefits of public urban parks save taxpayers tens if not hundreds of millions in medical costs in the long run, while bolstering social cohesion. The World Health Organisation recommends that urban residents should have access to green areas within a 5-minute walk from home. More specifically, they recommend 0.5 - 1 hectare of green space within 300 meters of habitation. Given that the Northern Harbour area, from Ħamrun to St Julian's, has been so densely over-developed, there are no public open green areas within the Marsamxett harbour area that could replace the loss the public would suffer if the construction project on Manoel Island goes ahead, and it is precisely because of this congestion, that retaining Manoel Island as a park is so essential now, more than it was in 2000, when the deal was struck."

It said that while it commends the urban greening initiatives being undertaken, "one cannot deny that the public has been losing public open space as it keeps being gobbled up by development. Parliament has struck off swathes of the Sliema and Gżira coastline from the public domain list to make way for private lidos. Manoel Island is therefore the ideal place for a substantial open space in this area, benefitting residents and the rest of the population."

"Parliament has a responsibility towards us, the population of the Maltese Islands, who are uniting in demanding that Manoel Island be retained as a public, green, open space.  We are asking that these factors are given their fair weighting during the current negotiations of the concession," the Campaign said.

"We urge the public to keep signing the petition calling for Manoel Island to be returned to the public as a park. It is obvious to everyone that public non-commercial green open space is an essential need, and that Manoel Island is perfectly suited to fulfil this role in the most urbanised area of Malta. This plea to common sense triumphs over every other argument. The campaign shall keep pushing for this outcome, for Manoel Island to be a place for all."