Updated 11.15am

Captain Morgan has dropped plans to build a jetty at Balluta bay, following widespread discontent among residents about the proposal. 

The ferry company, which is owned by the Fortina Group, had sought to develop a jetty at the popular bay to service a hop-on, hop-off tourist ferry that it will operate. 

But the plans outraged locals, who argued that the popular swimming spot would be ruined by a ferry repeatedly entering and exiting it throughout the day. They noted that Balluta is designated as an official bathing bay under local plans/  

Captain Morgan first suspended works on the jetty in the summer, following a week-long protest by activists and residents. It then filed a second application for a somewhat modified jetty, which it said would be smaller than the original. 

Opponents of the plan remained unimpressed, however, with St Julian’s mayor Alfred Buttigieg writing in Times of Malta that “Fortina Group is, once more, seeking its greedy self-interest with no care for the common good.”

The company's second planning application (PA 07251/21) attracted literally hundreds of representations petitioning the PA to refuse it. 

On Saturday, however, Captain Morgan said that it was shelving its Balluta plans and instead seeking an alternative location for a jetty, in consultation with the local council and NGOs.  

Children hold up placards during a protest against the jetty plans held earlier this year. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

A Captain Morgan spokesperson said that the company would be withdrawing its Planning Authority applications for the Balluta structure “with immediate effect”. 

“As a Group, we are sensitive to genuine concern, wherever it’s coming from. The sentiment has been clearly against, so we are discarding our original plans and studying the best alternative options,” the company said in a statement.  

It insisted that the Balluta ferry jetty would have helped ease traffic congestion in the St Julian’s/Sliema area and said that it remained committed to greener, more efficient intermodal transport options. 

Graffitti: we will remain vigilant

Moviment Graffitti, which was one of the NGOs leading the charge against the jetty plans, said it took note of the company's decision.

It said that it would remain vigilant to ensure that the company kept its word and dropped its first PA permit and withdrew its second application without them resurfacing "in some other form".

"Pressure works," the NGO said. "Our struggle in favour of public spaces continues."

St Julian's mayor Buttigieg said Captain Morgan's decision was a "victory for common sense" and proof that dialogue worked.

"To withdraw or change your mind is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of maturity," he said of the decision. 

Buttigieg thanked the NGOs and residents who had helped object to the project, singling out environmental lawyer Claire Bonello and independent candidate Arnold Cassola for praise.