Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/734031
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2016 12 JAMES DEBONO EXTENSIVE land reclamation is being proposed in an area already known to be rich in sea grasses that are protected by the Euro- pean Union's Habitats Directive and which is adjacent to a marine conservation area. The proposal is included in the master plan for the Paceville area, which was issued for public consultation by the Planning Au- thority. Already in the 1990s the PA had fined Portomaso's devel- opers Lm50,000 (€120,000) for destroying posidonia meadows following excavations for their yacht marina. The PA has confirmed that the proposal to expand development at Portomaso through land rec- lamation was made without any preliminary studies. The master plan will change planning policies for the area, setting a framework for the nine mega-developments that in- cludes various high-rise towers. Portomaso is seeking a new footprint of over 38,700 square metres set on mostly reclaimed land, half of which will used for luxury apartments while 44% will be set up apart for hotel accom- modation. The remaining area is for office space. The master plan says this area has a potential for land recla- mation because of the relatively shallow sea, and that a sensitive development approach would be required for this site because of its proximity to a marine pro- tected area. The master plan does not ex- clude another tower at Porto- maso but expressed a preference for coastal development where development may still rise to a maximum of 15 floors. The PA has told MaltaToday any studies will be now carried out in the Strategic Environment Impact Assessment (SEA), which will assess the environmental im- pacts of the entire master plan as a whole. A further Appropriate Assess- ment (AA) is required when a formal application of the project is presented. The "detail" of whether apart- ments are being proposed on the existing rocky coastline or on re- claimed land will be determined when the project is assessed. This coastal zone happens to be close to the protected Qaliet wet- land. Marine biologist Alan Dei- dun confirmed with MaltaToday that the area has a dense cover of posidonia meadows. He also recalled that one of the reasons that the PA had turned down the proposed wind farm at Sikka l-Bajda was the pres- ence of posidonia meadows. "If a national project can be stopped because of this important reason, the same should apply to a pri- vate project." Deidun pointed out that re- stricting the environmental im- pact to just the reclaimed area would be "next to impossible" given the exposed nature of the site and the poor track record of the PA's enforcement. News Portomaso land reclamation plan endangers protected marine area Paceville master plan proposes land reclamation for Portomaso's extension without preliminary studies on danger posed to Posidonia meadows Photomontage shows development (below) on the Portomaso land reclamation site completely replacing the iconic view (inset left) of the Dragonara casino when seen from Sliema Lung of the Mediterranean POSIDONIA meadows are found in most Maltese coastal areas and are a priority natural habitat under the EU Habitats Directive. The PA can approve a pro- ject that is clearly in breach of EU directives only in the event that it must be completed for reasons of "overriding public interest". But if this is the case, Malta will have to inform the Europe- an Commission and compen- sate for the loss of habitat. A study on land reclamation commissioned by MEPA in 2007 and conducted by British experts Scott Wilson, had con- cluded, "land reclamation for the purpose of accommodating inert waste and creating land for development is not of suf- ficient national importance for the project to go ahead". This sea grass species, often called 'Neptune Grass' and which inhabits most of the Maltese and Gozitan coastline, is endemic to the Mediterrane- an Sea and known as the lung of the Mediterranean. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important