The Nationalist Party said Saturday that large scale projects, like the one planned by Transport Malta for a Marsascala yacht marina, need to start with a proper impact assessment and consultation of residents.
On Friday, Transport Malta issued a call for a tender for the construction of a massive yacht marina sprawling across Marsascala Bay. The preliminary design for the marina caters for a total of over 700 yachts of varying lengths.
Following such reports, the Nationalist party in Saturday urged the government to consult the residents of Marsascala, local business owners and environmental experts before any other steps are taken towards the development of the marina.
PN’s Chief Spokesperson Peter Agius told a news conference that the project being proposed is “disproportionate and does not include environmental safeguards.”
He remarked that no studies were conducted for instance on how the project would affect the currents in the bay with the proposed land reclamation and 700 mooring points potentially leading to water stagnation in the inner parts of the bay.
The proposed development neither considered how the dredging and development would affect ‘il-Magħluq’ ta’ Marsaskala, a brackish water habitat that houses protected flora and fauna species, including efforts to preserve a colony of Mediterranean killifish.
Meanwhile, Marsascala PN minority leader John Baptist Camilleri said that while considerate and proportionate investment in the area should be considered at attract higher quality tourism to the South of Malta, the proposed plans do not achieve the appropriate balance and are proposed without consultation of those directly affected by such.
PN candidate Errol Cutajar also emphasised the needs of hundreds of residents who chose to live in Marsascala for its numerous bathing points.
“Swimming zones are largely disregarded in the proposed project,” Cutajar said.
The council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Monday in order to discuss and conclude on an official position on the project by Tuesday.
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