Court cancels Marsaskala waterpolo pitch permit following appeal

The court has decided to cancel the permit for a waterpolo pitch and restaurant in the heart of Marsaskala Bay following an appeal by residents and Moviment Graffitti.

“The Court said the indicated zone is not for these types of developments and therefore revoked the permit,” Moviment Graffitti said in a Facebook post on Thursday morning.

Moviment Graffitti together with several residents of Marsaskala had appealed a Planning Authority decision to approve a waterpolo pitch, clubhouse and restaurant next to Triq is-Salini in Marsaskala.

The appellants had said the development would involve extensive excavation of the seabed and dredging, limit the public’s access and enjoyment of the coast and create multiple inconveniences through the commercialisation of a residential area in Marsaskala. They had also requested the suspension of works for the duration of the appeal.

The appellants argued the harm done by this structure cannot in any way be justified by its benefits, especially in view of the fact that this waterpolo pitch will be used only during the summer months.

Three PA board members, NGO representative Annick Bonello, economist Gilmour Camilleri and Duncan Mifsud had voted against the development, while eight others, including Environment and Resources Authority chair Victor Axiak and Marsaskala mayor Mario Calleja voted in favour.

The development, proposed by government agency Sports Malta, was triggered by the allocation of the national pool in Żonqor for the development of the American University of Malta campus.

The project was approved on the basis of two policies, one zoning the area as an entertainment priority area and one, which considers the development of a yacht marina in the area while specifying that any development should not have any “adverse” impact on nearby residents.

Camilleri said no social impact assessment was undertaken to ensure that the project had no adverse impact on residents. 

“This development would have entailed extensive excavation and dredging of the seabed, limited public access and enjoyment of the coast and inconvenienced a residential area through the burdens of commercialization,” Moviment Graffitti said in its Facebook post on Thursday.

The NGO thanked Marsascala residents for their persistence in fighting against the development, and lawyer Claire Bonello who led the case in court.