Environment Minister George Pullicino said the Lm30,000 project will be especially attractive to divers. “The money paid out by the Hilton developers will be re-invested in the area and the remaining Lm20,000 will be used in the St Julian’s small square project,” he said.

Mr Pullicino said he did not agree that contributions paid out as ‘planning gain’ fees be used for commissioning or carrying out studies. “The money should be re-invested in improving the environment. There are plans for 30 projects to be financed by such contributions and three have been completed in Qala, Mellieha and Stella Maris church in Sliema,” he said.

“Three others are also underway, including the restoration and protection works at Wied Ghollieqa and the Victoria lines,” he said. The reef project is the third one.

Mr Pullicino also said that an environmental impact assessment will be carried out as well to see what effect the artificial reef will have on wildlife and the sea bed. “The artificial reef has been designed and positioned in such a way as to be able to collect data and information about it,” he said.

Mr Pullicino said that 35,000 divers visit Malta every year and this project will be an added attraction which would improve Malta as a diving destination.

“It will also allow us to eventually gather lots of information about the marine life around Malta. It is not the only marine project we have on the go. After intensive studies carried out between 2002 and 2003, Mepa is pushing for the area between Majjiesa Cliffs and Ras ir-Raheb to be a conservation zone. In the future, we will want a total of three marine conservation areas,” he said.

Mr Pullicino said Malta was committed to improving its environment and has submitted a total of 50 proposals for projects to be financed by the European Union since Malta joined in May. “We are also going to get E2.1 million in assistance from the EU that will finance training, administration, purchasing of equipment, research and education,” he said.

In addition, Malta had submitted three projects under the European Regional Development Funds that are expected to yield Lm1.2 million in EU funding.

A statement issued by Mepa said that the works and studies are being funded through the Environment Initiative Partnership Programme (EIPP) fund that was initiated by the authority in November 2001.

“The aim of the EIPP is to enhance and protect Malta’s natural environment and cultural heritage using funds secured through what is known as Planning Gain. Planning Gain is often sought by Mepa as a means of social, environmental and economic benefits to the community as a compensation for impacts that may result from a particular development, which impacts cannot be reasonably mitigated.” explained director of planning, architect Christopher Borg.

“The project aims to scientifically assess the impact of artificial reefs on the marine environment and the monitoring and quantification of the colonisation of the reefs by marine life, the testing of the effects in using different materials for the construction of the reefs and the potential creation of a diving attraction in the area,” pointed out director general Godwin Cassar.

The design and material used for these reefs are also part of the study. A pyramid structure comprised of five units has been constructed with several holes and cavities.

Of the four reefs that have been deployed two have been constructed out of globigerina limestone, while the remaining two are concrete blocks.

In order to obtain the most accurate data from the studies, in its initial phase both fishing and diving will be prohibited in the reef area including a buffer zone of 150 metres around each reef. This will be followed by a phased relaxation policy.

Two seasonal studies, on fish communities, invertebrates and sediment will be conducted over the coming year. This project is being carried out in collaboration with the Marine Ecology Research Group of the University of Malta (Department of Biology).

Through the EIPP scheme, Mepa is currently also financing various other projects throughout the Maltese Islands. These include: restoration of dilapidated historic buildings and monuments, maintenance of derelict archaeological sites, tree planting projects, management of natural environments, embellishment works, and projects related to the marine environment.