Marsascala local councillor Charlot Cassar told The Malta Independent on Sunday that no discussion had been held by Council on the second proposal regarding the American University of Malta campus in Zonqor.

On 21 August, Marsascala Mayor Mario Calleja addressed sections of the press, saying that “this is the greatest foreign investment in Marsascala’s history and will definitely have a positive impact on the Maltese economy”.

Mr Cassar, elected on behalf of the Nationalist Party, said he wished the mayor had consulted the rest of the Council before endorsing the project.

Originally, the Council had endorsed the first proposition – that the entire university would be built in Zonqor – through a divided vote.

The second proposal, regarding which Mr Cassar said no council discussion had taken place, was to split the university, with half of it being built in Zonqor and half in Cospicua.

In an exchange of emails a couple of weeks ago, prior to the council meeting held earlier this week, the Council’s executive secretary informed councillors that the meeting would revolve around the Zonqor natural park.

Mr Cassar, in response, said that he would be putting forward his proposals at the meeting and “understands that during the same meeting, government’s proposal regarding building the university in Zonqor, land which is outside the development zone as well as forming part of the nature park plan, would also be discussed”.

In response to an email from Mr Cassar, Mr Calleja said: “Only proposals relating to the nature park are on the agenda”, and “discussions about the university will not be permitted. A decision was taken by Central government – subject closed”.

Mr Cassar told this newsroom that, in actual fact, he was permitted to mention the university during the council meeting, but there was no discussion on the subject. He does not agree with the current proposal by the government, which would see 18,000 square metres of ODZ land used for the construction of the university.

In the exchange of emails the mayor said that, in his opinion, alternative locations for Dive Med and for the public conveniences should be found. He also said he would propose that a promenade be built between Zonqor and ta’ Barkat that would be accessible to everyone, including people with a disability, and that a railing and benches facing the sea would be included. He also urged the provision of bins for different types of waste and the planting of more trees, as well as insisting that no food or drink establishments be permitted.

In a position statement, Mr Cassar expressed his grave concern at the proposal to build a campus in Zonqor and considered the construction project to be contradictory in principle to the establishment of the park, “as it would destroy a significant section of the landscape that has up to now been designated for the park. Such a project would furthermore have a severe negative impact on the visual integrity of the park, an impact that would extend well beyond the footprint of the proposed campus”. He believed that no part of the designated park area is expendable and “I dissociate myself from any proposal to truncate the area of the park to accommodate building development, and will not endorse the creation of a truncated park”.

He also recommends the extension of the designated park to include a marine protected area along the Zonqor to Xghajra coast, among other proposals.