Updated | Projects Malta proposes €100,000 embellishment project for Marsascala front
Marsascala council ‘unanimously approves’ a Projects Malta proposal to embellish area opposite parish church • Mayor says rumour suggests a new waterpolo pitch will be constructed further up the bay
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The Marsascala local council has unanimously approved a suggestion put forward by Projects Malta whereby the seafront area opposite the parish church is embellished and turned into a small square with trees.
The move however means that mariners have to temporary relocate their boats closer to Zonqor, and are in the dark of what will happen once the development of the American University of Malta starts.
Speaking to MaltaToday, Marsascala mayor Mario Calleja said that Projects Malta had approached him asking whether the council would be prepared to allow Projects Malta to propose an embellishment of the area.
“The council unanimously approved the suggestion,” Calleja said.
In a statement, Projects Malta confirmed that it has engaged with local authorities to establish whether there was any land which could be transformed into an underground park. Ten different areas were identified, but most did not meet the requested specifications, and further technical studies now need to be carried out.
“Throughout this exercise, another piece of land in Marsascala has been identified, and to this extent, Project Malta will engage with the local council to discuss whether a project on this site would be economically feasible in this area,” it said.
Every year between June 15 and September 15, the area opposite the church is rid of the boats and trailers, turning it into a small parking area and creating space for activities.
“Over the past three weeks, the council was informed that Project Malta is planning to embellish the area and remove the trailers that are an eyesore,” Calleja said.
Boat owners who make use of the cemented area met this afternoon, insisting that the council cannot just remove them. They also accused the mayor of "refusing to meet them".
Calleja however believes he can, arguing that none of the boat owners paid any fees or enjoy some sort of title to use the area.
“There are two areas with cement and the council wants to reserve one area for fishermen and day trippers whose boats are parked in a garage. As a council, we have all agreed that such a project would benefit the locality and the residents … 25 persons should not hold a monopoly on the area…”
But Emanuel Refalo, president of the Marsascala boat owners and fishermen's association, told MaltaToday that they were protesting the temporary move to Zonqor Point, especially since some boats would not even be able to navigate the streets to get there.
"Moreover, the mayor himself, around four years ago, had approached us and we had agreed that we would all keep our boats in the water during summer, to keep this area clear," he said. "But the mayor had also agreed that we could keep the boats here the resy of the year."
But a second area, further up the bay, will now also affect boat owners. Transport Malta has issued a notice notifying mariners that a site investigation will be carried out. As a result, owners of vessels that are moored or have a mooring within the area known as the ‘Siberia side’ – below the local council – have to remove their crafts by September 18. MaltaToday is informed that the deadline has been extended till October, coinciding with the expiry of the majority of insurance for boat owners who leave their boats at sea.
Transport Malta has warned that any vessels and moorings left in the area will be removed at the expense of the owner.
There is no official confirmation as to why Transport Malta needs to carry out the site investigation and MaltaToday is still awaiting replies to questions sent earlier today.
Likewise, Calleja said he did not know the reason behind that but confirmed that the rumour was that a new waterpolo pitch would be developed.
Last year, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced that a new pitch will be built by the government along the Marsascala shoreline to replace the former national pool which will be demolished for use by the American University of Malta.
The Zonqor campus, to be developed by Sadeen Group, will include three faculties and the dormitories, with the buildings rising to a maximum height of five storeys, half of what is permissible under the floor-to-area ratio policy, while the foreshore will remain untouched.