Marsaskala local council wants written guarantee from government on land reclamation

The Marsaskala local council has asked the government for a written guarantee that there would be no reclamation off the village's coast.

The council said it had written to the government and asked for written confirmation in order to dispel rumours surrounding possible projects. "In this way, we would be guaranteeing that what we're currently benefiting from will continue to be enjoyed by our children in the coming years in a beautiful and tranquil environment," the local council said in a statement.

The local council said that it was reacting to recent news stories that were doing the rounds related to possible land reclamation in Marsascala.

"Land reclamation would be completely detrimental to the Marsascala shoreline," the statement read.

It cited many reasons for this, mainly the "negative impact on the environment; the toll on local infrastructure; the inconvenience caused to residents; the negative impact on the social aspect of many families who were raised in the area; and the debilitation of a beautiful, natural and open environment".

"The shore should be left in its natural state for the foreseeable future. We therefore ask the government to provide us with a written confirmation that any land reclamation will not take place in the area," the local council said.