Maltese International Trade Fair Grounds

The Trade Fair Grounds, also known as the Trade Fairs and Exhibition Centre, is a former fairground in Naxxar, Malta. It hosted various exhibitions and fairs throughout the year, but was mostly known for being the venue for the annual Malta Trade Fair.[1] Prior to the construction of the trade fair complex, the area had been part of the gardens of Palazzo Parisio.[2]

The former Trade Fair Grounds in 2017

History

The fairground hosted forty-nine editions of the Malta Trade Fair, from 1958 to 2006.[3] After the ground rent expired, the Malta Trade Fair was moved to the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali in 2007, and has been held there ever since.[4] At this point, plans were made to redevelop the former fairground in Naxxar into a housing project, a local centre and an underground car park.[5] In 2010, the Trade Fair Exhibitors Association took over the lease and applied to host the trade fair at the Naxxar complex again, but the licence was refused, resulting in a legal battle.[3] The Naxxar Local Council opposed any attempts to return the Trade Fair to the former fairground.[6]

In 2008, the Electoral Commission moved its Vote Counting Complex to the former Trade Fair Grounds, after the original counting hall in Ta' Qali was demolished to make way for the American Embassy.[7] This counting hall was used for most elections between 2008 and 2017,[8] with the exception of the 2011 divorce referendum.[9]

New plans for redeveloping the site were submitted in 2017, and these include the demolition of the existing buildings and the construction of 490 apartments, 5,000 m2 (54,000 sq ft) of offices, 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) of retail outlets and an underground car park.[10]

See also

References
  1. "The International Fair of Malta". The Business Times. 27 June 2001. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
  2. "One World – Protecting the most significant buildings, monuments and features of the Maltese islands (10)". Times of Malta. 20 June 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017.
  3. Xuereb, Matthew (20 July 2012). "Naxxar trade fair group to sue government". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012.
  4. "The 2014 MFCC Malta Trade Fair". Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017.
  5. Fenech, Stanley; Grech, Andrew (9 February 2010). "Old Trade Fair Grounds in Naxxar". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  6. Zahra, Charlot (24 June 2010). "Naxxar council reiterates opposition to trade fair". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017.
  7. Busuttil, Cynthia (5 February 2008). "Electoral Commission 'can cope' with double election". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017.
  8. "General election 2017 – Office at the Vote Counting Complex, Naxxar". Electoral Commssion Malta. 4 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017.
  9. Xuereb, Matthew (8 March 2012). "Naxxar counting hall taken over until 2014". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 26 May 2014.
  10. Leone Ganado, Philip (11 June 2017). "Was this the final election for Naxxar counting hall?". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017.

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