The highly controversial development intended for Gozo’s Ta’ Cenc area has been retouched and is back on the table after a notice appeared in the local newspapers on Saturday.

Following a change to the proposed master plan for the area, the development of what is described as a ‘multi-ownership tourist hotel development’ and ‘Malta’s first heritage park’, PA5277/96 has seen a new incarnation and will once again be placed on the public consultation agenda. The deadline for representations and objections from the public sphere will be open until 18 November.

Speaking yesterday, Alternattiva Demokratika secretary general Victor Galea, called on the government to “have the courage to declare the Ta’ Cenc area as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and that it should honour its obligations to the EU Directives” under both the birds and habitats directives.

Moreover, he stressed, such an SAC, which could eventually form part of the Natura 2000 network, should also include Area 7 of the proposed development, where the siting of a golf course had been proposed.

Since first being tabled in 1996, the proposed development has been a major bone of contention between all stakeholders – from the developers themselves to the government, and to Malta and Gozo’s growing environmental lobby. And the controversy is likely to continue as regards the area, rich as it is in terms of ornithology, archaeology and endemic flora and fauna.

Perhaps most controversial of all, the plans for the scenic cliff face area has been the proposal of a golf course at the site. Proposed developer Victor Borg had been ambiguous about the move at the last public consultation meeting, where he said he was still undecided about plans to develop the so-called Area 7 into a golf course or an area for agro-tourism.

The arguments for and against the development, which also include the construction of a number of villas, are wide-ranging. Environmentalists stand firmly opposed to any development in what they describe as an extremely sensitive site, which, many argue, should be turned into a national park.

The developers – Real Finanz AG, represented by Mr Borg – count the Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprise (GRTU), the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) and the Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise as their backers.

Proponents argue the proposed development stands in accordance with the law, holds the potential of generating sorely-needed employment opportunities in Gozo, and will also boost the island’s tourism sector.