The expansion of the Ghadira Bay beach will not start this summer, PN MP Robert Cutajar said in Parliament, explaining that this information was revealed to him through a presentation about the project by Projects Malta.

Speaking during a Parliamentary session yesterday, and also speaking with The Malta Independent, the PN MP said that he had asked a number of Parliamentary Questions about the issue, and as such, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi asked for a meeting, and offered for Projects Malta to deliver him a presentation on the project.

Cutajar said that he was assured the project will not start during the summer months, but afterwards. He said he was not given a specific date

Cutajar explained that he will back the project, which he said would see the beach increase by 30m or so, on a number of conditions. Firstly, he said, that the beach keeps its blue flag status. Secondly, he said, that the project be done primarily for the community, while also safeguarding the interests of the Ghadira business community. Thirdly, he said, that public transport in the area be upgraded and improved, as an increase in beach size will mean more people travelling to the bay. Lastly, he said, that the parking issues in the area be solved with the inclusion of more parking spaces prior to, rather than after, the beach expansion project begins. Cutajar said that Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi promised to consider this point. “Parking has to be a priority,” he said, “we can’t expand the beach without it.”

Speaking with The Malta Independent, Cutajar said that during the meeting, he also told Projects Malta that the promenade along the beach needs to be upgraded and refurbished.

Tourism Minister Kornad Mizzi said in Parliament that the beach is very crowded, and something needs to be done. He said the blue flag status must be kept, and that the parking issue in Mellieha needs to be solved. He said work on plans in this regard has already begun and is being worked on. He said the idea for the project, is to use sand in the bay to extend the beach, adding that this would increase the bay 30m or so outwards. He said that a study for natural wave deflectors, not to lose the sand, is also underway.

He said this could make the bay a world class beach and would include beach accessories including showers etc.

The project itself is currently making its way through the planning application process. The Environment and Resources Authority said, on 4 May, that this application is currently subject to an Appropriate Assessment and to a Marine Environment Study. “The application should await the outcome of these studies.”

The Marine Environment Study needs to address the following aspects, the ERA in its submissions said: Implications on the physical characteristics and natural dynamics of the beach and coastal area itself; Impacts on the bathymetry in the area subject to dredging and its interrelated impacts on the hydrodynamics of the bay and subsequent erosion patterns; Impacts on the Posidonia oceanica beds, reefs and sandbanks, as protected under the Flora, Fauna and Natural Habitats Protection Regulations; and Impacts on the habitat structure of the benthic fauna by the deposition of sand.