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maltatoday SUNDAY 21 JANUARY 2018 News 9 MATTHEW VELLA UNEXPLODED ordnance from World War II could be a serious risk factor when planners start laying down the new gas pipeline from Malta to Sicily. Construction on the €322 million pipeline is expected to start in 2020, to ultimately replace the floating gas tanker in Marsaxlokk Bay cur- rently providing natural gas to the Delimara power station. A risk assessment for the pro- ject, which will connect a gas pipeline from Delimara to Gela, in Sicily, said further research is necessary for the identification of military equipment and more importantly unexploded bombs along the project's footprint em- anating from WW2 operations. "Military installations and espe- cially UXOs or prohibited areas could affect the project's footprint, budget and safety. In other words, the design of the project should be compatible with military plans," the risk assessment report states. The report calls for the identifica- tion of so called UXO areas (areas where unexploded ordnance is like- ly to exist) that need to be avoided. "UXO areas could also be pro- vided by the ministries, but in order to secure the safety and integrity of the project, a detailed marine sur- vey should be performed as some UXOs might not come from pre- sent military activity. In case UXOs are identified along the project pro- posed route, the UXOs will need to be removed in a safe manner, or the project should be re-designed ac- cordingly. In any case, the project should be designed in such a way as to avoid sensitive military areas." Avoidance of areas with unex- ploded ordnance is projected to be a serious consideration for the project, since Malta was a focal point of war activities as late as World War II, when both the island and the ship- ping lanes supplying it were under heavy and prolonged air attack. A detailed and very careful survey will have to be performed for un- known unexploded ordnance, such as explosive bombs, shells, gre- nades, naval mines, etc. that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation. Unknown shipwrecks should also be identified and avoided. A deci- sion on whether a Strategic Envi- ronment Assessment will be carried out on the pipeline will depend on the energy ministry. A SEA assesses the likely sig- nificant effects of plans and pro- grammes on the environment, seeks the views of stakeholders and the general public on these effects, and influences the plan preparation process in order to address envi- ronmental issues at an early stage. An open discussion on the pipeline will be held with national and local authorities and the general public at the St Thomas More primary school in Marsaxlokk on Tuesday. A SEA for the energy policy pro- gramme was already carried out in 2009. According to risk assessment authors, there are no overwhelming environmental considerations that have been identified that would necessitate a new SEA for the gas pipeline. However, the gas pipeline will be traversing two environmentally- protected areas. The pipeline will have to go through two Natura 2000 sites in Gela, and a nature park at the Delimara Peninsula. In addi- tion, there are indications of marine meadows, which are priority habi- tats for the EU, along the coastline of both areas. The feasibility report for the Gela option, which was prepared by the same authors as the risk assessment report, say there are technical so- lutions that may be deployed and which are considered to be more environmentally friendly, such as trenchless techniques, that could be utilised to eliminate impacts to the protected features. Gas pipeline planners warned over unexploded WW2 bombs MATTHEW VELLA THE proponents of a beach concession on the stretch of the former Coast Road left abandoned in the wake of the road's rebuild- ing, have signed an agreement with a sports association to grant them access to the coast- line. For the first time ever, Paceville entrepre- neur Frankie Grima's name appears on the agreement as a developer alongside that of business partner Joseph Zammit, the appli- cant behind the project. Grima himself had stated back in 2016 in an interview with the Malta Business Review that he had plans for a coastline project and a 7,000 sq.m. "Vietnamese style resort" which would be "part beach, part restaurant and part soft entertainment area." Although the Planning Authority has not yet granted its consent to the project, the developers have signed an agreement with the Malta Board Sports Association (MBSA) to allocate windsurfers who use the Ghallis point to practise their sports, 30 private car spaces. Both parties also agreed that the developers will grant the MBSA a storage facility inside the lower parking level to be used in perpetu- ity by the association. MBSA also declared it would be neutral with regard to the development application of the beach concession. The stretch of the old Coast Road left re- dundant after the completion of the widened road at Bahar ic-Caghaq is being earmarked for a massive car park and private beach, de- spite ongoing works by Transport Malta to reclaim the land back to its natural state. Plans for the development include a huge car park for 346 vehicles over two levels on both sides of the roundabout that lies on disturbed land, facing the sea. The project includes beach facilities with two five-metre- high gazebos with an oriental design on top of the parking area. TM was expected to reinstate the area known as l-Ghadira s-Safra in the vicinity of Maghtab: the works, in strict collaboration with the Environment Resources Authority, were to remove the asphalt and re-introduce soil to the areas formerly covered with as- phalt. On its part, the ERA has already declared that any development on the site in ques- tion is protected by a 2016 conservation or- der. "The current state of the site shall not be used as a justification or pretext for its devel- opment… the development is still considered to be objectionable from an environmental point of view." The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has demanded photomontages of the pro- ject, given that beach project would be situ- ated close to the remains of a Knights period coastal battery. The SCH also said that the visual connec- tion between the coastal military towers at Ta' Qalet Marku and Ghallis should be pro- tected without any hindering development. The area is already a special area of conser- vation – a protected area that forms part of the Natura 2000 network – which supports unique and very rare species of freshwater crustaceans and lower plants. Since the ap- plication for the car park and beach facilities is being presented on public land, the Lands Authority has to issue its clearance for the project. Additionally, in its representation on the project, the Malta Tourism Authority has asked the Planning Authority to consult Pro- jects Malta – the entity responsible for pub- lic private partnerships. Both the MTA and Projects Malta now fall under the purview of tourism minister Konrad Mizzi. In its letter, the MTA said Projects Malta should be consulted due to the fact that "the government is trying to identify locations for the provision of facilities in currently non- accessible beaches and shoreline." Coast Road beach: Frankie Grima signs agreement with Ghallis windsurfers Developers of Coast Road beach resort have agreed to grant windsurfers' association 30 parking spaces and access to foreshore The stretch of the old Coast Road earmarked for a massive car park and private beach