Divers see Wied iż-Żurrieq upgrade works as missed opportunity for area regeneration

Divers in Malta are petitioning the Planning Authority over upgrade works proposed at Wied iż-Żurrieq, saying they fail to cater for what is Malta’s second most popular diving location.

The Public Works Department plans to excavate the underground lower parking area, currently used by divers, to build boat storage space under street level and improve facilities such as ticketing booths and bathrooms for patrons of the Blue Grotto boat trips.

Divers who are sending in representations on the project however believe that the upgrading works do not address concerns related to the already limited parking spaces for divers.

Wied iż-Żurrieq is the second most popular diving site in Malta after the Ċirkewwa Marine Park, and thousands of incoming tourist divers as well as the local diving community visit this site regularly. The main attraction is the Um-el-Faroud wreck, scuttled in 1998 for divers as the largest shore accessible wreck around the islands.

Nearby reefs and the valley also provide an abundance of diving opportunities, especially when the wind is blowing from the North-West, which is on the majority of the days throughout the year and which reduces diving opportunities elsewhere in many parts of the islands.

David Agius, of divinginfo.mt, said that the upgrading plans appear to cater for a sizeable increase in underwater storage space for boats and linked facilities, effectively doubling current boat storage facilities and adding additional ones.

“The inverse results for divers. The current 12 parking spaces on the hill descending towards the stairs have been reduced to a nominal six. You may understand that divers are disappointed that a refurbishment project will lead to less accessibility. This more so when one has to consider that divers may be carrying over 30kg equipment on their back, and the issue of the steep stairs to access the zone have not been addressed in the plans filed,” Agius said.

“After a dive there, the steep access and physical exertion to reach the parking further up the road may actually trigger decompression illness, leading to further anguish, hospitalisation and bad experiences for incoming tourists.”

Agius said the diving community had already proposed ways of using already committed areas to create underground parking, diving and boat facilities, and to turn lower Wied iż-Żurrieq into a car-free pedestrian zone and regenerate the area.

“Shifting parking, public conveniences, boat storage and any other essential services underground would clear the way for a pedestrian zone in Wied iż-Żurrieq and regenerate the whole area into a much more visitor-friendly and picturesque location, especially at sunsets,” Agius said.