Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1392413
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 14 JULY 2021 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A bête noire for both environ- mentalists and Labour in the 1990s. due to the inevitable loss of agricultural land, the airstrip project was briefly considered by the Muscat administration, which had commissioned a re- port on its impact but never published. Oblivious to the carbon foot- print of air travel and the inev- itable impact on the landscape the document identifies the establishment of a fixed-wing airlink between Gozo and the mainland that "respects the natural environment" as one of Gozo's infrastructural priori- ties. "Such a link should com- plement the sea link, whilst providing a convenient and less time-consuming inter-is- land transfer for tourists and Gozitans alike between Mal- ta International Airport and Gozo." But the document issued for public consultation by the Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA) fails to identify the location for such a development. Previously the airlink was proposed on agri- cultural fields near the helipad in Ta' Lambert in Xewkija. The same strategy proposing an airstrip in Gozo, whose car- bon footprint could be consid- erable, also proposes an inno- vative pilot project to reduce households' carbon footprint in Gozo through a digital ap- plication. The app would earn Gozo residents and visitors credits by using environmen- tally friendly forms of trans- port including walking, bikes and public transport operated by alternative fuels. Other controversial infra- structural projects included in the strategy are the "inclusion of berthed facilities" in a pro- posed breakwater in Marsal- forn, an alternative road to the Mġarr harbour and a ring-road around Victoria. The document says that stud- ies for these projects should include a "regional impact as- sessment." Curiously the document on- ly makes one single reference to the planned undersea tun- nel between Malta and Gozo, by saying that this "could be part of a long-term strategy" to address Gozo's connectivity challenges by addressing "the inherent problems experienced by individuals and enterprises based in Gozo". But while underlining to commitment for a tunnel, the document also proposes the expansion of the Mġarr Har- bour through the construction of new berths, widening of the quay area, sea reclamation, a new breakwater and a marina on the east harbour side. Moreover the possibility of diversifying some of the cur- rent services to "a newly con- structed port" at Marsalforn is mooted as a way of alleviating Mġarr Harbour from some of the port activity underway. Crucially this "might include cruise berthing facilities". The PA is currently assessing an application envisaging the construction of two gigantic breakwaters and submerged groynes to strengthen coastal defences and replenish the de- pleted Marsalforn beach. One of the proposed breakwaters at il-Ponta ta' Santa Marija will extend out from the coast across 400sq.m, while another breakwater located at il-Menqa will attach to the existing jetty on the eastern side of the bay, extending its the footprint by 1,000sq.m. With regards to planning, the Gozo document vaguely states that "green open spaces between villages", which it de- scribes as "Gozo's green lungs" should be safeguarded. But it makes no reference to the need for a change to local plans to stop the current on- slaught of five-storey devel- opments in the outskirts of Gozo's towns and villages. A chapter on 'Spatial Plan- ning' foresees the development of an "ecological multi-level car park" to address parking short- ages in Victoria and Mgarr "de- signed in such a way that miti- gates its visual impact" and an "extensive programme" to re- move electrical and other wires from building façades. The Gozo airstrip saga THE airstrip saga dates back to the 1990s when an applica- tion was presented by the army to develop an airstrip in Gozo, prompting protests by Alter- nattiva Demokratika and green NGOs. Stopping the application for the Gozo airstrip was one of Alfred Sant's first decisions as prime minister in 1996, after withdrawing the country from NATO's Partnership for Peace programme and freezing EU membership. After being dropped by Sant, the project was put on the back-burner by Eddie Fenech Adami after he was re-elected in 1998. While not excluding the pro- ject completely, former tour- ism and environment minister Mario de Marco raised doubts on its sustainability. "One also needs to consider whether an airstrip in Gozo and enhanced accessibility can actually impact negatively the perception of the island that lures tourists to it," De Marco told MaltaToday in 2010. Before the general election in February 2013, Joseph Muscat declared that the Gozo airstrip was "not a priority", and that a helicopter service and a fast-fer- ry service between Mġarr and Valletta would be considered instead. But in a consultation meeting in July 2013 the tourism min- istry announced that the gov- ernment was considering a new 400-650m airstrip in Gozo in the Ta' Lambert area. In November 2013, the govern- ment confirmed that talks were ongoing with an "Italian compa- ny" on an air-link between Mal- ta, Gozo and Sicily, and funds for a study on an airstrip were included in the national budget. Plans were also forwarded to Brussels for a 900-long rural airfield in Gozo with the aim of tapping into EU funding for the estimated €14 million project. The airstrip – capable of han- dling both internal flights and air traffic from the surrounding regions – was meant to be com- pleted by 2017. The document sent to the EU had stated that a new airstrip could more than double Gozo's tourist arrivals. In March 2014 Joseph Muscat announced that the government was considering the construc- tion of a grass airstrip in Gozo but the government would first need to evaluate the environ- mental impact. But the completed feasibility study has never been published or presented to parliament. Fol- lowing the backlash on proposed ODZ development in Żonqor, the airstrip disappeared from the government's radar. Fixed-wing airlink between Gozo proposed by regulatory authority The Ta' Lambert area is used as a helicopter landing spot for the Gozo General Hospital and was previously used as a heliport for the Malta-Gozo