A reward for Marsascala

Let's face it - it does make sense to upgrade the waste treatment plant in Sant'Antnin rather than try to relocate it to someone else's backyard. Even before the existing plant was commissioned in 1992, the same site hosted an open landfill on one side and a sewage treatment plant on the other.

Surely all mature Marsascala residents remember the smouldering rubbish mountain that stood just under where the Park of Friendship is today. Residential development had already started encroaching on the area back then when the situation was much worse than it is today.

It is a fact that the improvements done to the existing plant in 1998 eliminated much of the stench problem and the landscaping covered most of the eyesore, so one can safely assume that this new redevelopment will further improve the situation. The fact that this project will be partly funded by the EU is another assurance that the end result will be up to EU standards. If it isn't, the residents can exercise their rights and force the authorities to bring the facility up to scratch or close it down.

What irks the residents of Marsascala even more is that apart from putting up with the stench for a number of years, they also had to put up with countless other difficulties. So their confidence in the administration is generally nil. For years, tap water supply to the hilltops was poor, the roads were (and many still are) in shambles, and generally Marsascala was not a nice place to live in. Indeed much of the islands were in this situation, but Marsascala had more than its fair share.

Over the years many of these difficulties have been overcome and forgotten. Now WasteServ's plans are rubbing salt into these old wounds. Marsascala has been treated like a black sheep locality when it should be a well looked after seaside resort for all the folks in the south to enjoy.

May I put forward a suggestion? On Bondiplus, Minister George Pullicino gingerly agreed to propose adequate community compensation to Cabinet. Why not compensate everyone in Marsascala, and visitors too, with an extraordinary community gift? I can't propose what or where; it would be up to the residents to come up with viable proposals, but I am thinking something on the lines of a superb playground. A monumental plus to balance out the monumental minuses these people have been suffering over the years.

Perhaps the area around the plant itself should be rehabilitated for the benefit of the community. If the prize is large enough everyone can benefit from it, not just the homes circling the plant. Many of the vociferous opponents are worried about falling property prices or dipping business. The government has the power to make these headaches go away for them, and it seems the minister is prepared to consider such proposals. Really, an equitable solution can be found in this case.

When Budapest planned to build a similar facility in the municipality of Pusztazamor in 1993, it offered residents community compensation on these lines, and as a result an overwhelming majority voted in favour of the development in a referendum. I m sure there are countless other examples all across Europe.

You never know, you might have local councils queuing up to host such facilities in future in turn for similar compensation. Perhaps it even pays the government in the long run to reward localities that carry these national burdens. Marsascala could be the first. After all, we have a promise that the impact of this redevelopment will be minimal, and an assurance that the plant will be sited there anyway, so why not try and get something positive out of it?