Manoel Island Is Becoming a National Park: What It Means for Gzira

For decades, the green island facing Gzira's promenade was a question mark: fenced, contested, and earmarked for development that never quite arrived. In 2026 that question was answered. Manoel Island is becoming a national park, and the town that has looked at it across the water every day is about to gain the best front garden in Malta.

In short: after a parliamentary vote and a 47.3 million euro settlement ending the development concession in spring 2026, Manoel Island is set to become a national park in public ownership. For Gzira and Sliema, it means open space, restored fortifications and a transformed harbour front.

How we got here

The island has carried Malta's history on its back. The Order of St John built a lazzaretto, a quarantine hospital, on its shore, and from 1726 raised Fort Manoel, one of the finest star forts in the Mediterranean. Under British rule it became a naval base, HMS Talbot and later HMS Phoenicia, and in 1942 the fort was heavily bombed. After the British left in 1979, the island drifted through decades of decline and disputed development plans.

What changed in 2026

The turning point came in spring 2026, when a parliamentary vote and a settlement of 47.3 million euros brought the development concession to an end. The island is being returned to the public, with a national park the stated intention: open space, restored heritage, and a foreshore that belongs to everyone rather than to a masterplan.

What it means for Gzira

Towns are defined by what they look at. Gzira has spent a generation looking at a fenced island; it is about to spend the next one looking at a park. Practically, that means walking and running routes, restored fortifications on the doorstep, protected views across Marsamxett Harbour, and the kind of open green space this stretch of coast

has never had. It is also, quietly, one of the strongest reasons to choose this side of the harbour for a longer stay.

Visiting now

The bridge from Gzira's seafront has always made the island feel close, and its foreshore has long drawn walkers, swimmers and anglers. Arrangements will shift as the park project develops, so check the current position locally. What is certain is that anyone staying in Gzira over the next few years gets a front-row seat to one of the most significant pieces of public realm work in modern Malta.

Frequently asked questions

Is Manoel Island becoming a national park?

Yes. In spring 2026, following a parliamentary vote and a settlement of 47.3 million euros that ended the long-standing development concession, Manoel Island was set on the path to becoming a national park, returning the fort, foreshore and open space to public ownership.

Can you visit Manoel Island?

Manoel Island is reached by a short bridge from Gzira's seafront, and the foreshore has long been used by walkers, swimmers and anglers. Access arrangements are changing as the national park project develops, so check locally for the current position before setting out.

What is Fort Manoel?

A star-shaped fortress built by the Order of St John from 1726 on the island facing Gzira. It served as a British naval base in the twentieth century, was badly bombed in 1942, and has since been extensively restored.

Morrison Court sits on the Gzira side of the water, with short term and mid-term apartments in Gzira for one or two guests. Read more about the town in our Gzira area guide, or see why remote workers keep choosing it in our nine reasons Gzira beats Sliema and St Julian's. Book direct at morrisoncourt.com.