Corporate Village project still in the pipeline – Finance Minister

Government's plans for the setting up of a Corporate Village in Imriehel are still ongoing after a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech told parliament this evening.

Fenech was replying to a question raised by Labour MP Joe Mizzi. Fenech told Mizzi that following the RFP,  potential developers would be identified but only one would be chosen. He added that the date of the project depended on this process.

Intervening, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat also asked whether Malta Enterprise, government's investment promotion arm, sought legal advice.

"I am not aware of any legal advice that was requested," he said, adding that he found no problem in requesting one. Fenech added ME's competence went beyond the manufacturing sector to include all industries.

While visiting Methode Electronics a few weeks ago, Muscat said he was against the setting up of a Corporate Village in Imriehel and expressed his hopes that government had dropped its plans.

The proposed site sits next door to Methode.

"Using industrial space for the construction of offices and showrooms doesn't make sense. Manufacturing companies in Malta yearn for space and only makes sense for factories to take it up," Muscat had said.

Muscat had argued that land in industrial areas should be used to expand factories and not hinder their growth.

However, the finance minister rubbished the Opposition's statement that the Corp Village would be precluding Methode from expanding. During the visit to Methode, a worker had told Muscat that the company wanted to expand into the adjacent vacant factory but couldn't because of government's plan.

"It is not true that we are stopping Methode from expanding. Methode had four expansion programmes that we catered for. The only issue raised by the company was over parking and this was resolved after we provided for additional parking," Fenech said.

He added that there were no development requests to the proposed site.

Fenech also argued that more office buildings were being constructed in Imriehel, rather than factories and insisted that it had enough land in other areas around the island for the expansion of factories.

Replying to several clarifications raised by Muscat, Fenech insisted that government had "nothing to be ashamed of" over the project.

"This is no sin. This is a good thing by which we are helping the ever-growing financial sector to further expand," he said, adding that by opposing Corporate Village, Muscat was opposing the expansion of the financial sector.

Fenech went to say that government had "a clear economic vision" which was built on "new ideas and innovation".