The preferred design for the new Marsalforn breakwater has been chosen following studies carried out by a technical team and preparation for an application for the project to be submitted to the Planning Authority is nearing completion, Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana announced.
The master plan, which was initially launched in 2017, is split into two principal phases, Caruana said. These phases are firstly the embellishment of the promenade for which, Caruana explained, tenders have already been published with works beginning upon the awarding of these tenders.
In a promotional video published on the Gozo Ministry’s social media page, the embellishment to the promenade includes an extended sandy beach – which will run for the length of the bay’s sea-front.
The second phase of the master-plan is the building of a breakwater for the bay. Caruana explained that the ministry had settled on a design after a technical team carried out all the necessary studies and added that two more studies remain before an application for the project can be submitted to the Planning Authority.
The two remaining tenders focus on the Geotechnical Investigations and Reporting on the Breakwater and on the Preparation of a Project Description Statement and Environmental Impact Assessment respectively.
“It is an ambitious project and one which is much needed, and which will make a difference not just to Marsalforn but to the island of Gozo as a whole”, Caruana concluded.
The Marsalforn breakwater is a project which has been a topic of discussion for a number of legislatures, however it never materialised. The project was one of the points in the Labour Party’s electoral manifesto in 2017.
Days ago, Marsalforn’s streets were flooded with sea-water as strong north easterly winds battered the coast. The strong winds and the lack of shelter meant that water even ended up flooding restaurants and private residences.
PN councillor Daniel Cordina said that people were increasingly angry about the current lack of a breakwater and that residents, fishermen and shop owners alike were suffering every time bad weather hit the seaside locality.
