The relocation of the tourism school to Smart City can go ahead after the Planning Authority on Thursday approved plans for a new campus there.
The new Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) campus will be built on a site located to the southwest of Smart City, close to the rural hamlet of San Rokku.
The site which occupies an area of 9,150sq.m is partly excavated and will be accessible through a ring road for which a planning application is being processed.
The building will include classrooms, offices, a library with study rooms, a cafeteria and auditorium. The campus will also comprise an indoor pool with spa, a wine cellar, three restaurants with related kitchens, food science laboratories, a bakery, student rooms and five incubation centres.
Additional facilities include a childcare centre, ancillary shops and two levels of underground parking. A basketball court will also be constructed.
Government intends to have the campus building reach near zero carbon footprint in line with EU directives. All rainwater will be collected into an underground water reservoir and used for irrigation purposes. All waste generated during the operation of the campus will be stored within an underground dedicated area and will be divided into different disposal categories for collection.
A 200kWp polycrystalline photovoltaic system will be installed in dedicated areas of the roof and these will generate 320,000kWh of electricity annually providing for the 4.6% of the annual electrical consumption needed.
ITS was relocated out of its original campus in St George's Bay when government decided to lease the land to the DB Group for the construction of a hotel and high-rise residential towers.
ITS is currently operating from the former Air Malta head office in Luqa.
