Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1021976
NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 SEPTEMBER 2018 Blue Lagoon pier precedes masterplan SICILY SEPTEMBER OFFER Oer is not valid for travel on the 8th and 21st September. Conditions apply. Oer is not available online. Oer is valid only Malta/Sicily/Malta. Not valid on commercial vehicle drivers. T 2206 9022 E res@virtuferries.com W virtuferries.com FULL REFUND Full refund for cancellations up to 24 hours prior departure. CHILDREN TRAVEL FREE 2 children under 14 years travel free when travelling with 2 paying adults. NO BAGGAGE CHARGES No personal baggage overweight charges. NO PENALTIES No no-show penalty on passenger tickets. No penalties for name change on passenger/vehicle tickets. DAY RETURN €132 €92 RETURN €148 €99 JAMES DEBONO THE Gozo Ministry has sub- mitted an application for the construction of a 660sq.m pier which will serve as an exten- sion to a smaller jetty, and the reconstruction of 915sq.m of an existing road leading to the same pier. The new infrastructure will be constructed in the pano- ramic rocky area between Comino and the Kemmunet islet outside the swimming zone. The plans are designed by Doric Studio, the same compa- ny entrusted with preparing a masterplan for Comino which has still to be approved and is still being discussed with the Environment and Resources Authority. The project title given to the plans was the 'Blue Lagoon Regeneration Project'. But a Gozo Ministry spokes- person insists that the latest application is "not related to the plan being discussed with ERA." This contrasts with a state- ment made by Environment Minister Jose Herrera in May who claimed that "the Comino master plan focused on berth- ing arrangements at the Blue Lagoon and did not envision new development". The Gozo Ministry con- firmed that it has embarked in- to an extensive exercise "to as- sess the challenges at the Blue Lagoon and prepared a plan to address these challenges." The plan first announced by minister Justyne Caruana in May, has been submitted to the inter-ministerial commit- tee where discussions are cur- rently underway with ERA. So why were the new plans submitted before the approval of the Comino masterplan? The ministry claims that the urgency to present the ap- plication was dictated by the fact that there is "an imminent danger and risk that the road collapses". MaltaToday also asked the ministry to explain the motives and benefits of constructing a pier in the ecologically sensi- tive area but no answer was forthcoming. In May, environment minis- ter Josè Herrera had claimed that the Comino master- plan was aimed to modern- ise berthing arrangements at the Blue Lagoon in an eco- friendly manner, including new restrictions on anchoring to safeguard the marine envi- ronment. In its first reaction to the plans, Transport Malta has asked for more details about the number of berths. Ques- tions by MaltaToday on the number of berthing spaces re- mained unanswered. Plans show that the new pier will consist of steel deck beams erected on supporting pillars which indicates that the infra- structure will be of a perma- nent nature. As a Natura 2000 site, Comi- no is subject to a management plan published in 2015. The plan calls for the urgent implementation of a carrying capacity assessment for the Blue Lagoon, including sea- sonal variability of number of tourists, landings of tourists by ferries, entrance fee options, zoning and patrolling. It also lays down that tourism at the Blue Lagoon and else- where should be "practised in harmony with the site's con- servation needs". The local plan approved in 2006 had earmarked San Niklaw and the Blue Lagoon bay areas as a possible site for a "destination port". In 2010, the PA approved an application by Transport Malta to erect a small demountable jetty at the Blue Lagoon on the footprint of the dilapidated part of an existing quay. Back in 2006 the planning authority had already refused an application for a fixed per- manent structure in the same location because of its visual and ecological impact. It said that "further human interven- tion, particularly in the form proposed, is not desirable" and that the proposal would ad- versely affect the area, hinder its protection, and run counter to the rural conservation and ecological objectives of the Structure Plan. 01-08-2018 • Draw No: 739 87 56 55 52 3 69 79 31