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MALTATODAY 22 August 2021

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4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 AUGUST 2021 NEWS LUKE VELLA THE proposed 700-yacht mari- na at Marsaskala came as a sur- prise to everyone and none were more shocked than residents of the locality who had not been consulted in any way before the plans surfaced. Residents this morning joined a press conference organ- ised by Moviment Graffitti to voice their concerns against the plans for the marina inside Marsaskala creek. Andre Callus of Moviment Graffitti said everyone was shocked with Transport Mal- ta's plans for the area. He in- sisted this was a national issue as it affected thousands of Mal- tese and Gotizans who love and enjoy the area. John Baptist Camilleri, the minority leader within the Marsaskala council, said that it was imperative to pass a loud and clear message showing that Marsaskala was not for sale. And although it was claimed that the plans were just an ar- tistic impression, no one is buying that, he said. Camilleri said whereas on- ly small boats can current- ly access the creek, the plans called for the construction of a marina to cater for 700 larger yachts, that would only leave a very small recreation area for the public. "The residents were never mentioned in the report," he said. "Wherever a yacht ma- rina has been built, the access to the bay has been removed and however came up with the design, does not have the resi- dents at heart." Activist and Marsaskala resi- dent Jeremy Camilleri said that these plans would ruin Marsas- kala and would only cater to the interest of the few. He rubbished the claims that the bay was dirty and useless and said that although there were some issues that needed tackling, the place is still a gem. Camilleri criticised the fact that very few members of parliament came out against the project and that some MPs who are aginst the marina were in favour of a bridge across the creek. A coordinator for the Mar- saskala fireworks group, David Spagnol, said that after con- sulting with their insurance company, the group was told that with the yacht marina in place, they would not be in- sured to shoot fireworks out at sea. He said that it was not true that Marsaskala required more commercial activity, as there was already a huge parking problem in the locality. Spagnol said that the residents need to be respected and urged Prime Minister Robert Abela, himself a resident of Marsaska- la, to ensure that no yacht ma- rina, big or small, is built. ADPD condemns lack of consultation and planning At a separate event earlier, ADPD – The Green Party dep- uty secretary general Melissa Bagely said that after Marsas- kala had been ruined, Trans- port Malta was now set on al- so destroying its coastline. She said the plans for the pro- posed marina had been drawn up without any consultation with the residents and the local council, something which was required by law. "Like its predecessors, the Labour Government avoids proper consultation, and is in favour of the destruction of our beaches and our coast," she said. "They destroyed the land and are now intent on destroy- ing our sea." ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that the devel- opment of a yacht marina in the area was highly damaging and would lead to a further loss of public space. "Residents don't want this de- velopment and so Transport Malta has to stop and listen to what people have to say," he said. "Because if people don't want this development, then what is the purpose for pro- ceeding?" Cacopardo also called out the over-development all over the island, and said that new local plans should prioritise people's needs over the interest of cap- ital. Brian Decelis, a Marsaskala resident, and who in the past also served as a local council- lor on behalf of Alternattiva Demokratika in Fgura, said that in the four years he had lived in the locality, he had wit- nessed an assault on what was once a picturesque village, with uninterrupted development everywhere. A marina would be the death knell for Marsaskala, he said. "They have destroyed the land and now even the sea is doomed. A marina means that we will not be able to swim, use our canoes and dinghies, or play in the sea." Decelis wondered why the project had been resurrected now, just a few months before a general election. "Is there per- haps a connection with another massive project in Marsaskala, that of the Jerma Hotel site?" Activists and residents united against Marsaskala marina plans Residents and activists join forces in opposition to new government plans for a marina in the pictoresque Marsaskala bay

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