Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1506016
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 AUGUST 2023 NEWS Experts to call for downscaling of St Julian's water polo pitch project JAMES DEBONO ENVIRONMENTAL experts are recommending a downscal- ing of a land reclamation project to build a lido, two swimming pools and restaurants for the St Julian's water polo club. The recommendation is being made to reduce the loss of pro- tected sea grasses found in the area between Spinola and Bal- luta bays in St Julian's. The project, which would entail the reclamation of 3,288sq.m of seabed will re- sult in the permanent oblitera- tion of more than 1,000sq.m of protected posidonia oceanica meadows that are protected by EU law. The recommendation to downscale the project was made in a memo endorsed by the Environment and Resourc- es Authority's Directorate for Environment and Resources to guide board members in tak- ing a decision on the proposed project. The decision will be taken in a public hearing scheduled for Friday. ERA does not have a final say on the proposed project, but its recommendation would have to be considered in the assess- ment of the plans by the Plan- ning Authority. Environmental impact studies have shown that as proposed, the land reclamation will al- so result in the destruction 835sq.m of matte, a habitat characterised by the roots and rhizomes of dead seagrasses. Studies have also shown the project will result in higher waves at the mouth of the inlet at Spinola Bay, which will neg- atively affect marine habitats. On the other hand, the pro- ject will positively result in a decrease in wave height in Bal- luta Bay, thus protecting the area from sea flooding events. The project according to the EIA will "diminish the quali- ty of the visual landscape" at Balluta Bay with experts warn- ing the impact will vary from "moderate to major adverse". In view of these impacts the directorate is recommending that in order for the case to proceed further "the proposal merits further reduction to the encroachment on the sea bed supporting posedonia oceanica meadows". The project is being proposed by the St Julians Aquatic Club whose chief executive officer is Edward Zammit Tabona of the Fortina Group. The project has been pending since 2019. In its 2017 election pro- gramme, the Labour Party had pledged "to enter into discus- sions with the San Giljan club to consider the possibility of constructing a pool". The top-ranked club pres- ently lacks a permanent pool structure, which can be used during adverse weather condi- tions, particularly when the sea is rough. St Julian's Aquatic Club was founded in 1949, then with the name Balluta Water Polo Club. The club won 12 First Division and 14 Knock Out titles in its history, the last being in 2022. It also won the 2023 Winter League. Why sea grasses are important Posedonia meadows, are en- demic to the Mediterranean Sea and known as the lung of the sea. They are protected by EU law and can only be re- moved if a justification based on the national interest is pro- vided by the government. Seagrasses are responsible for 12% of the carbon stored in ocean sediments and play a significant role in the regula- tion of the global carbon cycle. In daylight, posidonia oceanica meadows help oxygenate coast- al waters. Matte consisting only of the underlying rhizomes and roots left by dead seagrasses is also considered to be an impor- tant carbon sink and also hosts a variety of habitats. A photomontage of how the proposed pitch will look as seen from inside Spinola Bay, which will require the reclamation of 3,288sq.m of seabed. The club today (inset) has no pools and uses buoy markers in the sea for training purposes. Land reclamation in Spinola Bay to build a lido and two swimming pools could obliterate 1,000sq.m of protected seagrass