Malta’s Planning Authority has approved 30 padel courts on Manoel Island, sanctioning 20 that were built illegally and granting permission for a further ten, whilst imposing a €25,000 planning gain fine on the applicant.
The application was filed by Sharlon Pace on behalf of Gżira football club for the Nicholl Ground, the site of a former football pitch covering roughly 6,700 square metres. Works began well before any permit was in place, with illegal construction flagged in March. Enforcement officers visited the site and halted the works, but by that point drone footage released by civil society group Moviment Graffitti showed several courts already near completion.
The PA’s case officer had recommended approval against a fine of just €900, calculated using a standard statutory formula. The board’s chair openly described that figure as “ridiculous,” noting that planning reforms proposed last year had sought significantly higher penalties for illegal development. The board ultimately substituted the enforcement fine with a €25,000 planning gain contribution and approved the application by 11 votes to one.
PA officials argued the site retains its designation as a sports and recreational area, that the glass structures are reversible, and that no significant visual impact would result. Several consultees, including the Environment and Resources Authority and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, raised no objection.
Objectors were sharply critical. Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar questioned the application’s validity on the grounds that the land was owned by MIDI rather than Gżira football club at the time of filing, and called for the recusal of government-appointed board members on conflict-of-interest grounds, given the government’s subsequent move to reclaim the island. The applicant countered that a prior agreement with MIDI had been declared at the time, making the application legitimate.
Campaigners from Manoel Island: Post Għalina argued that granting a commercial permit on land the public had just paid €43 million to reclaim would prejudice future planning for the site. Moviment Graffitti and heritage advocates flagged the absence of a heritage impact assessment – a notable omission given the site sits within Valletta’s UNESCO World Heritage buffer zone. FAA coordinator Astrid Vella said UNESCO officials had raised concerns about the development during a visit just weeks earlier, citing the floodlighting as a potential intrusion on the Valletta skyline.
The board declined to attach conditions that would have restricted Gżira football club’s future claims on the site ahead of a new Manoel Island master plan being drawn up.
