Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1213458
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 FEBRUARY 2020 NEWS DAVID HUDSON ACTIVIST group Moviment Graffitti has filed an applica- tion with the Lands Authority to manage Balluta Bay in a bid "to ward off the commercialisation of this public space and keep it permanently accessible and safe to bathers and the community." The application states that the left-wing group's intention is to retain Balluta bay as a space for "public recreational activities including citizen science, social and community activities and ecological monitoring activi- ties." "This application is necessary because we cannot allow fur- ther take-up of public bays for private interests," said a spokes- person for Moviment Graffit- ti. "At the moment, there is a pending planning application for a private ferry pontoon to be installed right in the middle of this popular bathing zone," a reference to Fortina Group's recently-rejected application which is subject to a decision on the 2 March. The Fortina hotel owners aimed to have a private jetty in Balluta Bay to serve as a hop-on hop-off service. The St Julian's local council had also previously written to the Lands Authority, objecting to any concession by the authority of the seabed and the sea. NGOs had criticised the case officer for recommending such an application for approval on the basis that it encourages transport by ferry boat as an al- ternative mode of transport. "This eating-up of our pub- lic spaces is unacceptable and needs to be stopped. Ferry transport should not be allowed in bathing areas in close prox- imity of swimmers, and the pub- lic should not be relegated to bathing in little swimming pens. Fortina should find an alterna- tive and move its tourist ferry to a more suitable spot and allow the public to exercise its right to enjoy the sea." The ferry service proposed would be operated by Fortina Investments using a 33-me- tre long boat and the proposed landing place is close to the St Julian's waterpolo club. The club which supported the project, has its own plans for a massive land reclamation pro- ject of 3,400sq.m of seabed on a nearby site. One of the own- ers of Fortina, Edward Zammit Tabona, who is also CEO of the club, has slammed Graffitti for a "misinformation campaign". Moviment Graffitti and other NGOs had organised a protest action alongside residents and local councils at the St Julian's bay last November to oppose the plans. "In the meantime we shall await the Planning Authority's decision on this matter, not- ing that this decision has been mysteriously put off for a long period. We hope that this move is not intended to allow any lob- bying behind the scenes, and we urge the public to remain vigilant regarding any develop- ments in the area," the group said in its statement, adding that it has no intention to manage the site for commercial or fund- raising initiatives of any sort. Graffitti files Lands application to manage Balluta Bay