A coalition of NGOs has warned that approval of a large-scale project for Hondoq Bay this Thursday will change the face of Gozo forever and could consign the pristine coastline of the area to the dustbin of history.

The Environment Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) will be taking its decision about the planned development on Thursday. The project, spread over 104,000 square metres of land, will include a hotel,  25 villas, 60 apartments and 200 multi-owner properties, restaurants, retail outlets, and a marina. It had been unanimously rejected by the Planning Authority.

The NGOs Din L-Art Ħelwa, Għawdix and Wirt Għawdex, said they strongly backed the Mayor of Qala, Paul Buttigieg, in opposing this project on behalf of the people of Qala and indeed the entire island.

"The coalition trusts that the EPRT will recognise the existential damage that a project of this scale will cause to the island of Gozo and firmly reject this proposal once and for all," the NGOs said.

They said they shared President George Vella’s warning, expressed on this year’s ‘Jum Għawdex’, against the threats to the natural environment and national heritage when he referred to Gozo as a ‘fragile gem, forced to withstand pressures from many sides’.

"The coalition maintains that those areas of Ħondoq which are still unspoilt and pristine should remain so, while areas which have been defaced should be rehabilitated to better reflect the natural environment which characterises this coastline. This will serve both to provide a respite for nature, and to guarantee the enjoyment of this site by present and future generations of Gozitans, Maltese and international residents and visitors to Gozo," the NGOs said.