The Libyan Higher Vocational Institute in Ta’ Giorni, Malta, has proposed the construction of a two-storey mosque with a turret and a five-storey residential block with 40 apartments on its ground, MaltaToday reported.
The Libyan government has owned the site since purchasing it in 1976, and a 2013 agreement with the Maltese government allowed the institute to admit international students, backed by a €22.4 million investment commitment.
The residential block, planned for a 1,017 sq.m. section of the school grounds, will require the removal of eight carob trees, while the mosque, covering 423 sq.m., will not impact existing trees.
A third planning application seeks to convert the existing school from a boarding facility to a non-residential educational institution. These three applications have all been submitted by the Libyan Higher Vocational Institute.
Malta currently has one mosque in Paola, inaugurated by Muammar Gaddafi in 1978, but the demand for a second mosque has grown due to an increasing Muslim population.
Another mosque project has been pending for years on a government-provided plot in Luqa’s industrial estate, meant as a permanent location for the Islamic community’s worship needs.
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