Application filed for water polo pitch in Marsaskala bay

Although no planning application for the development of the American University campus has been presented, the domino effect set in motion by the planned campus has started, as the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure has filed an application to develop a water polo pitch on 6,075 square metres of seabed along the Marsaskala promenade in Triq is-Salini.

The application was filed on 22 December and was published on the PA’s website this week.

The Marsaskala Sports Club was evicted from the old national pool complex in Zonqor Point as part of the land concession linked to the American University of Malta project. 

The government had promised an alternative location to the club to replace the old national pool, which is to be integrated into the university campus planned for the area. 

The campus will be developed on 35,000 sq.m. of land, 18,000 sq.m. of which consists of ODZ land in the vicinity of the pool.

In October, Transport Malta had published a notice to mariners asking them to remove boats moored in the area in question, in order for a “site investigation” to take place.

As a reaction 150 residents signed a petition objecting to the building of a water polo pitch that would be accessed from Triq is-Salini, which is on the opposite side of Zonqor Point. The petition argues that locating the pitch near a residential zone would cause noise problems for residents, as well as parking problems.

The petition was also signed by a number of boat owners who pointed out that Marsaskala Bay was already narrow, making it difficult to navigate. It appealed to the government to relocate the water polo pitch elsewhere on land rather than at sea.

proposed location for waterpolo pitch