Mosta residents who are opposed to the proposed development of a shooting range complex in the Busbesija area will have to wait a little more before they find out if their local council is on their side, as the council is waiting for the developers to make their argument before taking a stand.

U-Group, a Russian-owned group of companies, is planning to develop the largest complex of its kind in Malta in the area, and its plans became public when the government announced that the company was the preferred bidder for the restoration and reuse of the former anti-aircraft battery on site.

The anti-aircraft battery, which was built to defend the nearby Ta’ Qali airfield, only forms a small part of the proposed complex, which would take up an area equivalent to 14 football fields.

The plans soon proved to be controversial, with the first objections coming from the nearby Mount St Joseph Retreat House, which is run by the Maltese Jesuits. The Malta Independent on Sunday had revealed that the planned range threatened the 50-year-old retreat house’s tranquillity, and within days, the Maltese Jesuits, led by provincial Fr Patrick Magro, stressed their opposition to the project and emphasised that no compromise was possible.

But opposition to the project was also mounting in Mosta, particularly among those who live in the parts closest to the proposed site, a group – Mostin u Ħbieb kontra x-Shooting Range (Mosta residents and friends against the shooting range) – was launched on Friday to organise such efforts.

During the event, group member Bernard Grech emphasised that the group was hoping that the local council would support it, and said that while there were indications that a good number of councillors opposed the project, the council had still to take a stand.

Deputy mayor Ivan Bartolo has publicly opposed the project, including newspaper articles, and he also attended the group’s launch event. But the locality’s mayor, former parliamentary secretary Edwin Vassallo, is yet to take a stand.

When contacted, Mr Vassallo welcomed the launch of the group, but emphasised that the local council was waiting for the developers to present their own arguments to the council before taking a decision. On 28 May, the council had organised a well-attended meeting for residents, who highlighted their opposition to the project.

The council has been hoping to set up a second meeting in which the developers would present their arguments, but so far, they have not come forward.

Mr Vassallo stressed that the council would only wait for so long before taking a decision based on the information it has.

“And when we do that, no one could accuse us of not giving them enough time,” he said.

The mayor took to Facebook to explain his position after the group’s activity, which, he said, truly showed how residents felt.

But the group is apparently unimpressed, if a reply by Lara Sammut – one of the Mosta residents who represented the group on Friday – is any indication.

Ms Sammut said that a month has already passed since the meeting with residents, and that one need not be a genius to guess what the developers would say: that their project would not create a nuisance.

“Residents will not believe them, and will not be put at ease,” she wrote.

Ms Sammut said that waiting for the developers to state the obvious was a waste of the council’s time, stressing that the Mosta residents who elected the council were expecting its assistance.

“If you have Mosta residents at heart, you should listen to them and help them,” she added.