Activist seek to make Manoel Island a national park

Updated at 4:49pm with MIDI reaction

NGOs have launched the "Manoel Island: A Place for Us" campaign in a last-ditch effort to ensure that Manoel Island remains open to the public and is transformed into a national park.

The campaign seeks to reclaim Manoel Island for the people, preserving it as a recreational area in the heart of one of Malta’s most urbanised regions.

The coalition of NGOs have launched a parliamentary petition which calls for Manoel Island to be returned to the people and officially designated as a public park. 

Activists behind the campaign are urging the public to support this effort by signing the petition, which can be accessed here.

“This dream was born from the people’s deep yearning for open spaces where they can roam freely, for community spaces that support recreational activity, and for green areas that offer both physical and mental relief,” the NGOs say.

The NGOs noted that Manoel Island’s importance as an open space has significantly increased since it was handed to developers 25 years ago. Current plans include building over a 20,400sq.m footprint on the island, roughly the size of three football pitches.

The PA originally issued an outline permit for the entire MIDI project in Tigné and Manoel island back in 1999 which foresaw development on an even larger scale. A downscaled masterplan was finally approved in 2021 but the project layout has changed yet again following archaeological discoveries, mainly related to old cemeteries.

And while public spaces too will be reduced by 5,000sq.m, private open spaces will be increased in a newly created gated community by 12,500sq.m, with the integration of the circulation area within the building fabric.

Campaigners argue there is a rare opportunity to reassess the future of the island and to push for an alternative vision—one that favours a national park over private development.

“This is our one chance to turn that dream into reality,” the NGOs concluded.

MIDI flags "false and misleading claims"

In response to the campaign, MIDI called the notion that its concession can be terminated "false and misleading."

The company said that the project’s timeline was automatically extended due to delays beyond MIDI’s control, including archaeological discoveries, permit approvals, and legal challenges. 

MIDI stated that its revised plan significantly reduces the development footprint, cutting the gross floor area from 135,000sqm to 95,000sqm, with new buildings occupying less than 8% of the site. They insisted that more than 60% of the concession—175,000sqm—is dedicated to public open spaces.