Project profile: Grand Harbour, Malta

The Grand Harbour masterplan in Valletta, Malta, is a transformational waterfront regeneration vision designed by Chapman Taylor for the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC). Located around Malta’s most historically significant harbour, the 25-hectare masterplan seeks to reconnect the waterfront with the public while creating a world-class mixed-use destination that balances heritage, sustainability and long-term economic growth.

Officially unveiled by Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela in February 2026, the project represents one of the country’s most ambitious regeneration initiatives, positioning the Grand Harbour as a major civic, cultural and tourism destination for future generations.

Reimagining Malta’s most historic waterfront

The Grand Harbour is one of the Mediterranean’s most historically important maritime environments, shaped by centuries of trade, defence, industry and cultural exchange. Chapman Taylor’s masterplan responds to this extraordinary context by developing a long-term regeneration framework rooted in three core principles: heritage, revival and opportunity.

The vision aims to transform underutilised and industrialised harbour areas into a highly accessible waterfront environment that celebrates Malta’s maritime identity while creating new opportunities for public life, tourism, employment and investment. The plan proposes a carefully balanced approach to regeneration, ensuring that new interventions strengthen rather than compete with the harbour’s historic character.

A waterfront designed around people

Central to the masterplan is the ambition to open the harbour to the public and reconnect surrounding communities with the waterfront. The proposals introduce a network of pedestrian promenades, public squares, cultural spaces and landscaped waterfront environments designed to encourage activity throughout the year.

Key components of the masterplan include:

• A people’s marina
• Retail and food destinations
• Hotels and residential uses
• Curated market spaces
• Enhanced ferry connectivity
• New pedestrian links and public spaces

The masterplan prioritises the public realm as the foundation of the regeneration strategy, ensuring that movement, accessibility and social interaction shape the future identity of the harbour. Our approach seeks to create a waterfront where people can live, work, visit and gather within an integrated urban environment.

Heritage-led regeneration

A defining aspect of the project is its sensitive response to Malta’s architectural and cultural heritage. The Grand Harbour contains layers of military, industrial and maritime history, requiring a design approach capable of balancing regeneration with conservation.

Our masterplan carefully integrates new development within the existing historic landscape, preserving important views, fortifications and maritime infrastructure while introducing contemporary mixed-use environments that support modern economic and social activity. The proposals intentionally avoid excessive density and large-scale vertical development, instead favouring a lower-scale urban strategy that respects the harbour’s existing character.

The regeneration also seeks to transform former industrial areas, including the Marsa waterfront and former power station site, into vibrant public destinations that reconnect previously inaccessible parts of the harbour with surrounding communities.

Sustainability and long-term resilience

Sustainability is central to the vision for the Grand Harbour regeneration. Our approach focuses on creating a resilient and enduring waterfront environment that supports long-term environmental, social and economic value.

The masterplan promotes walkability, enhanced ferry transport, public access and mixed-use urban living, reducing reliance on vehicles while supporting year-round activity and tourism. The regeneration strategy also incorporates public open space, landscape integration and adaptive reuse principles that contribute to environmental performance and urban wellbeing.

Importantly, the project recognises Valletta as one of the world’s most enduring historic cities. The challenge is ensuring that new interventions continue this legacy of durability while supporting contemporary lifestyles and future growth.

A vision for Malta’s future

The Grand Harbour regeneration represents a major national investment in Malta’s future, combining placemaking, heritage conservation and economic development within a single long-term vision. Expected to be delivered over multiple phases during the coming decades, the project seeks to establish the harbour as a globally recognised waterfront destination that remains deeply connected to Maltese identity and culture.

Drawing on Chapman Taylor’s international experience in large-scale waterfront and mixed-use regeneration projects, including MediaCityUK in Manchester and other major urban developments worldwide, the masterplan demonstrates the practice’s ability to deliver complex civic transformations that create lasting value for cities and communities.

By reconnecting the harbour with the public, celebrating Malta’s cultural heritage and introducing vibrant mixed-use destinations and public spaces, the project seeks to create a lasting legacy for future generations.