A group of Marsascala residents have written to Prime Minister Robert Abela expressing their concerns about the proposal by the Ministry for Education and Employment to build a Waterpolo Pitch and a Clubhouse in Triq is-Salini (PA/00987/17), an Outside Development Zone. The letter was also sent to the Education Minister and the Environment Minister.
The letter can be viewed here.
In their letter, the residents state that the proposed development would discourage residents and visitors from making use of the natural sea environment, given that the proposed area would be occupied by the building itself, a concrete floor slab and activities involved with this development. The project would also leave a huge negative impact on traffic and would create parking problems as well as increase noise pollution in a completely residential area.
Residents fear that this development will have irreversible negative effects on Marsascala Bay and will change the face of the village forever. Moreover, they state that the intervention on the seabed will result in a variability of sea flows affecting the tal-Magħluq area, which is a protected natural habitat.
In view of all this, Marsascala residents have asked Government to reconsider this proposal and argued that, instead of building new facilities, existing ones should be upgraded
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Residenti ta’ Wied il-Għajn jitolbu lill-Prim Ministru jerġa’ jikkunsidra d-deċiżjoni li jinbena Waterpolo Pitch ġdid fil-lokalità
Grupp ta’ residenti ta’ Wied il-Għajn bagħtu ittra lill-Prim Ministru Robert Abela fejn esprimew it-tħassib tagħhom dwar il-proposta mill-Ministru tal-Edukazzjoni u x-Xogħol għall-bini ta’ Waterpolo Pitch u Clubhouse fi Triq is-Salini (PA/00987/17), barra miż-żona tal-iżvilupp. L-ittra ntbagħtet ukoll lill-Ministru tal-Edukazzjoni u lill-Ministru għall-Ambjent.
Tista’ taqra l-ittra hawnhekk.
Fl-ittra tagħhom, ir-residenti qalu li l-iżvilupp propost ser ixekkel lir-residenti u lill-viżitaturi milli jgwadu l-ambjent naturali u l-baħar, għaliex iż-żona se tittieħed mill-binja nnifisha, minn ċangaturi tal-konrit u mill-attività li ser jiġġenera dan l-iżvilupp. Il-proġett ser ikollu wkoll impatt negattiv ferm fuq il-problemi tat-traffiku u tal-parkeġġ, kif ukoll ser iżid it-tniggiż tal-istorbju f’żona kompletament residenzjali.
Ir-residenti qed jibżgħu li dan l-iżvilupp ser iħalli effetti ħżiena u irriversibbli fuq il-Bajja ta’ Wied il-Għajn u ser ibiddel il-karattru ta’ dan ir-raħal għal dejjem. Qalu wkoll li l-intervent fuq qiegħ il-baħar ser jirriżulta fi flussi varjabbli tal-ilma baħar li se jaffetwaw liż-żona tal-Magħluq, abitat naturali protett.
Għal dawn ir-raġunijiet kollha, ir-residenti ta’ Wied il-Għajn talbu lill-Gvern sabiex jerġa’ jikkunsidra d-deċiżjoni li jressaq din il-proposta u argumentaw li, minflok jinbew faċilitajiet ġodda, għandhom jiġu rranġati l-faċilitajiet li jeżistu diġà.
