Protest in Marsaskala planned for Friday at 6:30pm.

As residents of Marsaskala, we demand that Transport Malta immediately withdraws the tender for a yacht marina and definitively cancels such plans for our locality. Although a yacht marina is mentioned in the Local Plan for the area drawn up 15 years ago, the Government is by no means bound to implement a senseless project, which would cause immeasurable harm to our quality of life and environment. The residents would like to take this opportunity to thank the Marsaskala Local Council for its clear stand against Transport Malta’s plans and its call for the tender to be withdrawn.  

In the coming days and weeks, residents and organisations will be ramping up pressure for authorities to hear their concerns and withdraw these plans. To this end, a protest will be held on Friday 27th August at 6:30pm in Marsaskala (near the playground). 

Reading through the requirements of the tender, it is clear to us, that the construction of the marina will suffocate Marsaskala through land reclamation, changes in road networks and further development of buildings, such as offices, toilets, showers and parking amenities. This will cause increased congestion and pollution in an already overdeveloped village, resulting in further damage to the characteristic fabric of Marsaskala. 

They’d have us believe that the anticipated economic benefits are a golden gift for the residents but in actual fact supposed benefits are uncertain and vulnerable to numerous external factors. Studies show that expenditure by yachtspersons is 80% directed towards port services and refuelling with only a 20% constituting daily expenditure. Should the economic lifecycle of a marina come to an end due to a financial crisis or deficiency in services, the infrastructure involved would be irreversible and the original state of the environment would be impossible to reinstate. 

There is a high price to pay for hosting a yacht marina in our village. Our sea will be used as a parking space for the rich as they squander their money, in all probability, elsewhere on the island. The construction of a marina would also necessitate areas for repair and maintenance. As things stand, a marina would forever ruin the face of Marsaskala as we know it to satisfy the whims of a select few.

The infrastructure required for the construction of a yacht marina poses a limit to residents’ use of marine resources in other sectors. It will inhibit bathing, fishing and seaside activities in the open sea, such as scuba diving and canoeing. A marina would radically and permanently transform the natural surroundings of Marsaskala making it a thoroughly unsustainable project. 

Marinas are a high cost for the environment. Land reclamation and boating disturbance are amongst the extensive effects yacht marinas have on aquatic habitats, which need protection. Loss of aquatic vegetation is impossible to reverse and the conservation of aquatic vegetation is a priority in the management of coastal areas. The extent of the area that will be obliterated through land reclamation according to Transport Malta’s proposal is stunning: around 16,000sqm, equivalent to two and a half football pitches. Land reclamation is planned to take place in different parts of the bay: between Triq ix-Xatt and Triq is-Salini, behind the existing breakwater and next to Triq iż-Żonqor. 

The yacht marina project, bound to completely change the face and fabric of Marsaskala, was announced before the closing of the submission period for the Malta Tourism Authority’s (MTA) Design Contest. We are now more than ever convinced that this ‘Design Contest’ launched in May is a total sham. Was their mantra “Recover, Rethink and Revitalise” all directed towards engaging designers to pave the way for this atrocity?  Residents reiterate their call for the cancellation of this so-called Design Contest since it is clearly nothing but the carrying out of secret plans long in the making.

Ir-residenti ta’ Wied il-Għajn jitolbu li jieqfu immedjatament il-pjanijiet tal-yacht marina

Protesta f’Wied il-Għajn il-Ġimgħa fis-6.30p.m.

Aħna r-residenti ta’ Wied il-Għajn nitolbu lil Trasport Malta tirtira minnufih it-tender għall-yacht marina u tikkanċella definittivament dawn il-pjanijiet għall-lokalità tagħna. Minkejja li l-Pjan Lokali  ta’ 15-il sena ilu jsemmi yacht marina, il-gvern m’huwiex marbut li jimplimenta proġett bla sens u ta’ ħsara kbira fuq il-kwalità tal-ħajja u l-ambjent tagħna. Ir-residenti jirringrazzjaw lill-Kunsill Lokali ta’ Wied il-Għajn tal-pożizzjoni ċara li ħa fil-konfront tal-pjanijiet ta’ Trasport Malta u s-sejħa li għamel sabiex jiġi irtirat it-tender.

Fil-jiem u l-ġimgħat li ġejjin, ir-residenti u l-organizzazzjonijiet ser iżidu l-pressjoni sabiex l-awtoritajiet jisimgħu t-tħassib tagħhom u jirtiraw il-pjanijiet mingħajr dewmien. Ser issir protesta fis-27 ta’ Awwissu fis-6.30 p.m. ħdejn il-bandli ta’ Wied il-Għajn.

Ir-rekwiżiti tat-tender juru biċ-ċar li l-bini tal-yacht marina ser jifga ż-żona bir-reklamazzjoni tal-art, tibdil fir-rotot tat-triq u l-bini ta’ uffiċini, toilets, showers u żoni ta’ parkeġġ. Se naraw minħabba f’hekk żieda fil-konġestjoni u t-tniġġis f’raħal li diġà mibni żżejjed u ħsara irreparabbli fuq il-karatteristiċi tiegħu. 

Il-benefiċċji ekonomiċi antiċipati m’humiex l-opportunità tad-deheb li jriduna nemmnu li huma – huma benefiċċji ekonomiċi inċerti u jiddependu minn bosta fatturi esterni. Skont studji li saru, 80 % min-nefqa tal-proprjetarji ta’ yacht tmur fis-servizzi tal-port u spiżi tal-fjuwil. Jekk iċ-ċiklu ekonomiku ta’ marina jisfa fix-xejn b’riżultat ta’ kriżi finanzjarja jew defiċjenza fis-servizz, il-post ma jerġax lura għal li kien għax l-infrastruttura irriversibbli.

Il-prezz li se nħallsu għal marina bħal din f’raħalna huwa għali wisq. Il-baħar se jsir parkeġġ għas-sinjuri probabbilment mehdija jonfqu f’inħawi oħra tal-gżira. Marina ġġib magħhha wkoll il-bini ta’ żoni ta’ tiswija u manutenzjoni. Il-fatti juru ċar li marina se teqred ir-raħal ta’ Wied il-Għajn kif nafuh illum għas-sodisfazzjoni tal-ftit.

Il-yacht marina ser tillimita l-użu li jistgħu jagħmlu r-residenti mir-riżorsi tal-baħar f’setturi oħra. Ser tillimita l-għum, is-sajd u attivitajiet li jsiru f’baħar miftuħ bħall-għads u l-kenura. Il-marina ser tibdel l-ambjent naturali ta’ Wied il-Għajn b’mod radikali u għalhekk ma tistax titqies bħala proġett sostenibbli. 

Il-marini huma piż kbir fuq l-ambjent. Ir-reklamazzjoni tal-art u d-disturbi tal-jottijiet huma effetti estensivi ta’ marina fuq l-ambjent naturali tal-baħar li tant jitlob ħarsien. Filwaqt li fil-qasam tal-ġestjoni taż-żoni tal-kosta, il-ħarsien tal-veġetazzjoni tal-baħar jitqies bħala prijorità, it-telf tat-tali veġetazzjoni impossibbli jitreġġa’ lura. Ir-reklamazzjoni tal-art, skont il-proposta ta’ Trasport Malta, se teqred 16, 000 metru kwadru – l-ekwivalenti ta’ żewġ grounds u nofs tal-football. Ir-reklamazzjoni tal-art hija pjanat f’tliet partijiet tal-bajja – bejn Triq ix-Xatt u Triq is-Salini, wara l-breakwater, u maġenb Triq iż-Żonqor.

Il-proġett tal-yacht marina se jeqred Wied il-Għajn u l-karatteristiċi kollha tiegħu kif nafuhom illum. Barra minn hekk, il-pjan tħabbar qabel ma għalqu l-applikazzjonijiet għall-Kompetizzjoni tad-Disinn tal-Awtorità Maltija għat-Turiżmu (MTA). Illum konvinti iktar minn qatt qabel li din il-Kompetizzjoni, li tnediet f’Mejju, hija farsa biex twitti t-triq għal dawn l-atroċitajiet. Huwa ċar li l-Kompetizzjoni mhijiex ħlief skuża biex jitwettqu pjanijiet sigrieti li ilhom jinħmew u r-residenti jitolbu għalhekk li din ma ssirx.