Planned Ħal Far racetrack to expand over more land

A planned motorsport racetrack at Hal Far will expand further and include an additional 20,000sq.m of industrial land, MaltaToday has learnt. 

The allocation of land is over and above the 82,900sq.m earmarked for the project in a master plan issued for public consultation in January 2022. 

Motorsport Association President Duncan Micallef confirmed a new masterplan incorporating the new land allocated by the government will be published later this year. 

Micallef attributed the changes to design and safety issues highlighted by the German experts Tilke GmbH & Co. KG, who were hired by the association to design the track. 

“Without this additional land we would have been at a standstill,” Micallef acknowledged while thanking the government for resolving the issue by allocating more public land for this purpose. 

As originally proposed in the masterplan for the Hal Far area, the circuit racetrack was 2,000m long. A new masterplan is now being drafted to incorporate the additional land

He said the additional land area consists of already disturbed land currently used to park trailers in the vicinity of the Customs Department bonded stores. 

Micallef explained the problems arose when plotting the exact layout of the track, particularly with regards to safety distances from spectators and roads. 

As proposed in the masterplan, the track included a 2,000m racetrack with six right and six left-hand turns and over 4,800sq.m of paddock, grandstands, and access roads. 

“We have hired the top global designers in the field, and we are heeding their advice all the way,” Micallef said when asked about the delays in the project. 

Motorsport enthusiasts have long clamoured for a circuit racetrack and proposals to this effect also featured in the electoral manifestos of the two major political parties. 

The drawing up of new plans to incorporate the expansion of the racetrack coincides with the association’s recent planning application to upgrade the existing drag racing track. 

This application for what is popularly known as the kwart ta’ mil (literaly, a quarter of a mile), is separate from the racetrack despite being located in the same area. 

A separate planning application has been submitted for the upgrade of the existing Kwart ta' Mil drag racing track to international standards

The drag racing application is to upgrade the track and “achieve international safety standards”. 

The application which covers a site area of 104,855sq.m of land (PA 1721/23) foresees the demolition and reconstruction of  the spectator stands with underlying facilities including changing rooms, stores, sanitary facilities and a retail shop. 

The project is also set to include a four storey block that will house stores, administration offices, club rooms, a multipurpose hall and two catering establishments. The application also foresees the demolition and reconstruction of the existing control tower. 

The masterplan published in 2022  was largely limited to the  proposal to develop a completely new motor racing track in Ħal Far while referring to the existing karting track and the drag racing facility, as the other two other components of the “national multi-purpose motorsports hub”. 

Asked why the three components of the motorsport hub have not been included in one single application to ensure a holistic assessment of its impacts, Micallef replied that the masterplan which is being updated already refers to the three different components. 

Moreover, the masterplan must be followed up with full planning applications for each component of the project. He also pointed out that each facility will cater for a different sports discipline. 

When asked for a timeframe for the project, he indicated that the new masterplan will be published before the end of the year while the upgrading of the existing drag racing track could take place in 2024. 

“If you ask me, I would have preferred to have started the project last year but a project of this scale, covering over 200,000sq.m of land, and which is one of the largest ever in Malta, takes time and we prefer doing things properly,” Micaellef said. 

Asked about the noise impact of the project, which is the main concern raised by objectors, Micallef replied that one of the advantages of the Ħal Far location is that it is neither a green area nor a residential area. 

Moreover, the site is already used by enthusiasts frequenting the drag racing track and the karting track, he added. He claims that the existing drag racing facility which has been in operation for decades is even noisier than the proposed circuit track.

ERA gives go ahead to drag racing upgrade; Birdlife concerned 

The Environment and Resources Authority has already issued its go-ahead for the upgrading of the drag racing track. 

Unlike its call for further studies to assess the new racing track’s impact on neighbouring Natura 2000 sites and protected bird colonies, ERA deemed the drag racing upgrade proposal of “no environmental concern”. 

The Natura 2000 sites are located 600m from the proposed racing track and even closer to the existing drag racing track while the Tal-Papa residential community is located 1,500m away. 

The existing Hal Far raceway that hosts drag racing events. Environmentalists are worried about the piecemeal planning approach being adopted to deal with proposed upgrade of the existing facilities and the planned race circuit

But environmentalists who talked to MaltaToday have flagged the risk of a piecemeal approach to the area. They would prefer to have the different components of the project assessed in one single application with impacts assessed holistically. 

Birdlife Marine Data and Policy Officer Polina Venka expressed concern on the practice of splitting “one large project into smaller ones” possibly to avoid a holistic environment impact assessment, a practice which is becoming more frequent according to the organisation. 

She also warned that during  the construction phase, the project  will be a source of additional light, noise and dust pollution. This, she said, could have a negative impact on the Scopoli's and Yelkouan shearwaters which inhabit the protected cliffs, especially if construction works coincide with the  breeding season. 

Birdlife is also concerned by the noise, light pollution and traffic impact, especially during big events. 

Noise emissions cause for concern 

According to a Project Development Statement authored by ADI consultants on behalf of the Malta Motorsports Federation, the main impact from the operation of the racetrack is expected to be “noise emissions from the racing cars, especially from non-electric vehicles and, in particular, the combustion engines”. 

The PDS also calls for the installation of noise barriers in strategic locations to minimize noise impacts, “together with the strict monitoring of noise emissions from individual vehicles, in line with the racetrack’s noise limit policies.” 

The Project Development Statement for the race circuit suggests the relocation of the refugee open centre because of the likely impact of noise pollution from the track on the 'tent village'The residential Ħal Far tent village that is home to a migrant open centre

The document warns that the proximity of the residential Ħal Far tent village which abuts the proposed site on the northwest, and the Ħal Far Day Centre, which abuts the site on the east, could be “a cause for concern” due to noise pollution. 

The possible relocation of the refugee centres was proposed in a set of mitigation proposals. 

ERA had exempted the project from the need of submitting a full environment impact assessment but has requested an Appropriate Assessment to assess the impact on the neighbouring Natura 2000 sites. 

The development of a motorsport track is an electoral commitment of the present government and is also supported by the Opposition. ADPD which had objected to the project because of its noise impact, has raised concern on the loss of brownfield land which may be required for future industrial expansion.