Now that summer is over, we all hope that this will not be the last in which people will be able to enjoy the beauty, tranquillity and clear blue waters of Ħondoq ir-Rummien bay and its surroundings.

Mepa and the authorities must be aware of the large number of visitors who enjoyed this bay throughout the summer, at times with no other location being available for swimming in Gozo, especially when the wind blows from the west.

Let us hope that common sense will prevail and that the authorities will consider that the vast majority of Qala residents, in a 2002 referendum, voted against a project planned for Ħondoq ir-Rummien, and who still disagree with the destruction of this bay for the benefit of a few.

One expects the long-awaited Mepa reform, which the government has said will be completed by the end of this year, will include an investigation as to why the disused quarry, which is ODZ, was earmarked for development in 2006. Who was behind this change and why? Let us not forget that Mepa had refused an application by Qala council to turn this area into a park for the enjoyment of all.

Let us hope that the talk of an Eco-Gozo becomes a reality and that the disused quarry is indeed turned into a park as originally proposed. It has just been confirmed that the Maltese islands are the most densely populated place in Europe. We do not need more hotels and residential buildings.