Corinthia given rights to reclaim and build on peninsula seabed

The government has granted unlimited rights to the Corinthia Group to reclaim the seabed around the peninsula it occupies at St George’s Bay and build on it. According to a still unpublished draft deed, negotiated by Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, the Corinthia Group has been awarded the whole of the St George’s Bay peninsula for at least 99 years at a fraction of current market prices, to use not just for hotels but also for speculation. Now, The Sunday Times of Malta can also reveal that the government has conceded to let the group reclaim the seabed surrounding the whole peninsula. According to the draft deed, which has still to be approved by Parliament and signed, the Corinthia Group can then use the newly claimed land to build apartments, offices and retail space for purely commercial purposes. The draft contract does not impose any sort of limitation to how much of the seabed the hotel group will be allowed to reclaim. This is solely up to the Corinthia, subject to planning permits and relevant laws. The government is obliged by law to seek Parliament’s approval for every transfer of public land to third parties. In the case of the St George’s Bay seabed, however, it is...