[WATCH] Outrage at Marsaskala over marina: ‘We’re no garage for pleasure boaters’

Marianne Theuma, a qualified childbirth educator and Marsaskala resident, has been vociferous against the Marsakala yacht marina plans.

She is one of a growing chorus of residents outraged at plans published by Transport Malta for a yacht marina concession that would see pontoons take up all the swimming zones in the area.

Theuma is soft-spoken and calm but her words convey the deep sense of frustration among residents who feel the bay as it is today will be taken away forever.

I meet Theuma on the promenade in Marsaskala. She says  residents love it here, not just for walks but also to simply sit on a bench and take in the scenery. The creek provides a sense of liberation in a growing locality with few open spaces within the built-up areas.

“Those that are politically and financially strong have no right to take away what is public domain,” she says.

Theuma says that although she understands and respects that boat owners have a right to enjoy themselves, the residents have a right to unobstructed access to the bay as well.

She added that the promenade is the unofficial square of Marsaskala - a meeting point. It connects all residents, old and young.

“The morning walks, the phenomenal sunrises, the sea and its reflections; they will all be taken away by the marina. We don’t want this area to become just a garage, where the yacht owners park their vessels and go and enjoy themselves somewhere else. We do not deserve this,” she says in a calm but determined voice. 

Transport Malta plans propose pontoons all around the creek, effectively ruining the bathing areas

For her, the bay has a soothing effect. It is almost psychological therapy.

Theuma says that it is people who make a country and if the Maltese are happy, that alone is the best advert for Malta.

“We want healthy people, both physically and mentally, and therefore we do require nature. Nature is not for sale and should be available for everyone’s enjoyment. We are not only protecting this generation but future ones as well. Everything is loaned to us and we must leave it in a better state than we found it in,” she says.

Transport Malta published a pre-qualification questionnaire a fortnight ago to gauge commercial interest in a yacht marina concession for the whole of Marsaskala creek.

Despite the authority insisting that the process was still at embryonic stage and studies will have to be conducted, the document included a detailed design of how the bay could look with pontoons covering the whole area.

The council has voted against the plans and asked the authority to immediately withdraw them. So far, the process has not been halted and residents, local clubs and some district politicians have rallied against the proposal.

A protest against the marina plans will be held on Friday 27 August at 6:30pm on the promenade.

Theuma will definitely be there to voice her opposition to the marina. But like many other residents, she will also make a case for saving the largest open space in the locality.

READ ALSO: Activists and residents united against Marsaskala marina plans