In June 2025, the government and opposition agreed that Manoel Island should be returned to the public. The Government sealed an agreement with MIDI ensuring that the controversial commercial project will be scrapped, and the Islet is to be turned into a National Park. The public outcry for Manoel Island to be turned into a park was heard and two further national parks were added, White Rocks and Fort Campbell. In December 2025, the government, in collaboration with Project Green, opened a public consultation for the three parks and is to meet up with NGOs and the public to envision the future of the respective national parks. Public Consultation Link: https://parksinmalta.mt/have-your-say/#form

Prime Minister Robert Abela stated the cost of acquiring back the Island and turning it into a park, is estimated to amount to tens of millions.

The Prime Minister stated that the commercial project would have ruined the Islet. He gave his word that the site will be turned into a national park and envisioned it as a central green lung in central Malta to be enjoyed by the public for outdoor recreational activities. Abela mentioned that the park is to be planned following minimalist, preservation and conservation principles and not engulfed with concrete. He added that he wishes to turn the site into a gem of greenery through afforestation.

In June 2025, the campaign set out to plan a series of five stakeholder facilitated workshops to formulate an educated vision of the Manoel Island Park. The sessions were oriented to capture the locals’ visions and collect relevant data. The sessions included ecological experts,cultural specialists, historians, NGOs, architects, Gzira locals and the general public. An asset map depicting the tangible and intangible elements of Manoel Island was created from the data collated throughout the sessions. The participants were as diverse as can be, a wide spectrum of ages and walks of life but some demands came out strongly. Namely a vision for a park with a non-commercial identity and a safe and freely accessible refuge to reset one’s wellbeing from the urban frenzy. The site was proposed to be managed and maintained by community guardianship entitled with enforcement authority to oversee events within the site and safeguard the natural, historical heritage and cultural memory. The compilation of the studies shall be presented to the park stakeholders. The workshop report can be found here: Workshop Report

In May 2025, Manoel Island was at the pinnacle of the national agenda. The vehicle that got us there was an official parliamentary petition wittily framed as a dream to turn Manoel Island into a national park. The petition gathered over 29,000 signatures, equivalent to 5% of the electorate. A strong call from the public urging the government to rescind the concession and return the islet for all to enjoy.

It was crucial that a substantial number of signatures be collected. In 2019, a similar parliamentary petition collected over 7,500 signatures, however it was dismissed by the Parliamentary Committee responsible for petitions.

The dream truly became contagious and took flight when journalists gave prominence to the campaign and public figures such as artists, influencers and politicians were not hesitant to stick out their neck for the common good. The true stalwarts proved themselves when they took the plunge when the campaign had been considered an unsurmountable mountain and not given due consideration.

In turn, sufficient momentum and signatures had to be gathered to urge the personalities to publicly promote the campaign and for the papers to start making headlines of the saga. The success of the petition is heavily attributed to the campaign decentralization, specifically the empowerment and recruitment of a significantly large army of energetic and at times, autonomous volunteers. It was a welcome surprise that so many individuals really went out of their way and offered their time to collect signatures and create visuals and media communications. Furthermore, some NGOs went the extra mile, and some entities also offered free publicity. The wave of support from volunteers was simply bewildering and additionally donations helped in covering the promotional costs.

Of notable mention are the following exceptional circumstances that in/directly facilitated and contributed to the positive outcome of the campaign:

• A positive campaign whereby all parties Government, MIDI and public came to an agreement that benefits everyone.

• The sheer lack of public green spaces in the North Harbour area instigated an insatiable public appetite to nurture the body, mind and soul.

• Preserving Manoel Island was a tangible goal and additionally, for many the Islet is tied with memories.

• Nowadays, locals are more appreciative of quality of life and health.

• The choice was between an accessible park for families in Malta’s most densely populated area versus luxury apartments for the few.

• In 2025 the Government was negotiating with MIDI an extension of the completion date and MIDI had not kept to the timelines stipulated in the concession.

• In 2016, activists from Moviment Graffitti, together with other local organisations and the Gżira local council, reestablished access to the foreshore, which was illegally blocked by MIDI for 16 years. The public felt cheated, and were it not for the activists’ intervention, we would not have the faculty to set foot on the island from the year 2000. The young generation would have been oblivious to the value of the islet.

• Malta is different today to what it was in 2000 when the concession was handed over to develop the Islet. The public purse may be strengthened but our heritage is being eroded.

Boiling down the campaign, we are left with a residue of a very humble startup, a handful of passionate activists with limited resources who had been brewing a campaign to save Manoel Island for a long time. Back in 2024, the group decided to give a substantial concerted push for a national campaign with a different approach to preceding campaigns. With the intent that such a campaign would fall on everyone's lips. The campaign was spearheaded by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) and Moviment Graffitti and endorsed by over 50 entities. The campaign was meticulously and elaborately crafted with efficiency in mind for every step taken and no stones were left unturned. This required deep activism experience and ample commitment.

Given the success of the campaign, it is tempting to copy and paste what worked here for other campaigns. Obviously, some of the repertoire from the campaign’s toolbox worked wonders. On the other hand, in retrospect, it was no pleasure cruise, lessons were learnt on the go, activists got burnt out and some strategies failed. A very useful ingredient was the flexibility to adapt to emerging scenarios. Hence, the respective strategy is not a one fit for all, different circumstances require different measures.