BirdLife fears Għadira road project could impact nature reserve

Replacing the existing coastal road at Għadira with an elevated three-lane dual carriageway would increase noise and light pollution which are already taking their toll on the nature reserve there, Birdlife’s conservation manager Nicholas Barbara has told MaltaToday.

The proposal to erect an elevated road is being made by Projects Malta, an entity falling under Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, as part of a plan to extend the Għadira beach by 38,000sq.m.

Although the extension of the sandy beach can be carried out in the absence of the new road, preliminary studies presented by government consultants EMPD, claim that the sand dunes at Għadira Bay will be unable to recreate themselves, unless the existing road is replaced.

The area marked in red indicates the suggested extension of beach at Mellieħa Bay

According to the Project Development Statement the environmental impact of building the new bridge in the vicinity of a nature reserve will only be conducted after the approval of the first phase of the project which would see sand mechanically dredged from the submerged part of the beach.

In this scenario wave deflectors and the new road would ensure that the beach is protected during the winter months and reduce the risk of beach erosion.

The idea of an elevated road on stilts was already considered as one of the alternatives for the EU funded TEN-T network for the main thoroughfares linking the rest of Malta to Gozo.

Other alternatives which were discarded included passing the road or an underground tunnel behind the reserve and cutting through Foresta 2000 area.

“Back then, the EIA studies, all pointed to a considerable impact on the Għadira Nature Reserve, particularly from noise and light generated from the road,” Barbara said.

At the end of the process, this part of the TEN-T network was left untouched, possibly because all the options considered had an insurmountable environmental impact.

Environmentalists had objected to the proposal pushed by then transport minister Austin Gatt. The idea of passing the road behind the nature reserve was supported by Silvio Debono who owns the Seabank hotel which had been approved on ODZ land in 2009.

Barbara also pointed out that the reserve is already subjected to a considerable amount of noise and light from nearby human activities, which already have an impact on the birds breeding in this area. “Increasing visitors and having traffic passing at an elevated height will definitely augment such an impact further”.

Despite the proximity of the proposed road to the nature reserve, Birdlife has yet not been consulted on this issue.

The Environment and Resources Authority still has to decide on whether a full Environment Impact Assessment is required for the entire project but is demanding an ‘appropriate assessment’ on the project’s impact on the surrounding protected area.

Għadira is a very popular bay that was the inspiration for the song Il-Bajja tal-Mellieħa by New Cuorey

Birdlife is also concerned with the overall impact of increasing visitors to Għadira.

While recognising the fact that “a good chunk of the beach has been eroded away”, Birdlife said the driver behind this project is to accommodate more visitors at the bay. “At the end of the day this area is a Natura 2000 site, so increasing visitors any further may not be that sustainable,” Barbara said.

The current studies commissioned by the government have been conducted by architect, Stephen Vancell, on behalf of EMDP, a company owned by the PA’s planning commission’s board member Mariello Spiteri. ERA is presently assessing the studies presented by the EMDP, which were commissioned by Projects Malta.