Government hands keys to ‘El Murga’ bar to Gibraltar FA

The Gibraltar Government has formally handed over the keys to 'El Murga’ bar at Victoria Stadium to the Gibraltar Football Association, giving it vacant possession of the site.

The development comes after the Supreme Court dismissed a constitutional challenge by the owner of the Murga Bar, VSB Ltd, questioning the decision to terminate its lease against the backdrop of plans to redevelop the site into new facilities for the GFA.

The court rejected arguments for the bar’s owner, VSB Ltd, that the termination breached legal safeguards and constitutional rights, and that the case raised fundamental questions as to whether the relevant section of the Landlord and Tenant Act complied with Gibraltar’s Constitution.

Vacant possession enables the GFA to proceed with the next phase of the Victoria Stadium redevelopment project, including the commencement of demolition works on the Western Stand.

The project is for a UEFA Category 4 national stadium for Gibraltar that the Government says will be a significant driver of social and economic benefit.

But the plan has proved controversial because of its size and the inclusion of residential and commercial units within the development.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Government said it had made generous offers to VSB Ltd to resolve the matter amicably but that these had been rejected.

VSB Ltd has previously denied the size of the offers as described publicly by the Government.

“By handing over the keys to El Murga, we have cleared the way for the Gibraltar Football Association to begin demolition and move forward with construction,” said Gemma Arias Vasquez, the minister leading on the demolition and redevelopment of the Victoria Stadium for the Government.

“This is an important moment that allows work to finally start on a project of huge importance for both our football community and for Gibraltar as a whole.”