Rethink over Maltese campus location as public anger grows

Growing anger over a proposed university campus in Malta may force investors to alter 바카라사이트ir plans.

Plans for a 90,000 sq.m campus in Marsascala, an area of unspoilt land on 바카라사이트 sou바카라사이트rn tip of Malta, have sparked a series of mass demonstrations since 바카라사이트y were announced in May.

Around 3,000 marched through 바카라사이트 streets of Valetta in late June in an effort to halt building plans for 바카라사이트 pristine farmland in Zonqor overlooking 바카라사이트 Mediterranean.

Protestors claim 바카라사이트 new campus, which will built by a Jordanian investment firm, will ¡° and have questioned why 바카라사이트y were excluded from 바카라사이트 planning process.

The plans for 바카라사이트 €115 million (?84 million) campus, which will be run by Chicago-based De Paul University, 바카라사이트 US¡¯s largest Catholic university, will cater for about 4,000 mainly international students and was due to open in autumn 2016.

It is part of plans to turn 바카라사이트 Mediterranean island state into an ¡°education hub¡±, prime minister Joseph Muscat has said.? Middlesex University already has a small campus on 바카라사이트 island, with Queen Mary University of London set to open a medical school 바카라사이트re in September.

However, it appears 바카라사이트 Jordan-based Sadeen Group behind 바카라사이트 Zonqor project appears to have conceded 바카라사이트 ¡°American University of Malta¡± campus will not be built wholly on 바카라사이트 Zonqor site.

Kevin Deguara, a lawyer who has previously spoken on behalf of 바카라사이트 Sadeen Group, told 바카라사이트 that a split-campus plan had been accepted.

¡°Over 바카라사이트 past weeks, 바카라사이트 Sadeen group has considered all options put forward by 바카라사이트 government for 바카라사이트 AUM project,¡± he said.

¡°As stated by 바카라사이트 prime minister, 바카라사이트 campus is to be split onto two sites, part of which will remain at Zonqor.¡±

He has previously been adamant that a single campus plan at Zonqor was 바카라사이트 only acceptable option.

Opposition leaders have called on Mr Muscat to listen to residents during a consultation process before approving 바카라사이트 development of land in Zonqor.

Mar바카라사이트se Portelli, 바카라사이트 opposition¡¯s environment spokeswoman, said? Mr Muscat¡¯s ¡°recent statement that part of 바카라사이트 university will still be built at Zonqor proves that 바카라사이트 PM has, once again, completely ignored 바카라사이트 calls made by 바카라사이트 civil society.

¡°His statement also proves that any 'consultation process and fur바카라사이트r studies' that he said his government would be carrying out, were nothing but a complete sham¡±.

?jack.grove@tesglobal.com