Planned sailing complex
An article in the Sport pages of The Times (February 12) entitled A Time To Remember, penned by Teddie Borg, thanks the government for accommodating the Royal Malta Yacht Club in the ex-Malta Maritime Authority Yachting Centre at Ta' Xbiex and states...
An article in the Sport pages of The Times (February 12) entitled A Time To Remember, penned by Teddie Borg, thanks the government for accommodating the Royal Malta Yacht Club in the ex-Malta Maritime Authority Yachting Centre at Ta' Xbiex and states that the "waterfront will be utilised to foster the careers of young sailors and also for the members' useful needs. A sailing school is in the offing at the new headquarters with all the necessary facilities provided".
I believe that Mr Borg is the vice-commodore of the Royal Malta Yacht Club and as such he is fully aware that the waterfront referred to above:
(a) Was made available "on encroachment terms " by the government to the Malta Playing Fields Association way back in the mid-1950s.
(b) By 1958 the MPFA had built a lido for children as at that time there was no land available on which to build a playing field in Msida.
(c) In 2002 the site in question was leased to the MPFA for 49 years through a parliamentary resolution.
(d) Plans to construct a sailing complex were finally approved by Mepa in May 2006.
(e) Construction was scheduled to start in June last year with the official opening of the complex planned for March this year were it not for the Malta Maritime Authority's insistence that the site be requisitioned to be eventually passed on to the RMYC.
It is pertinent to point out that in 2005 the RMYC had indicated that they were willing to finance, construct and manage the sailing school on behalf of the MPFA, a commitment which was never taken up, as at that time the RMYC were still hoping to reach an agreement with MIDI on Couvre Porte.
The MPFA's plans to teach sailing to all children in Malta and Gozo are at least eight years ahead of the RMYC's!
Requisitioning land leased to an NGO to be passed on to a private members' club is considered unconstitutional and the executive committee of my association is taking legal action to ensure that the sailing complex planned by the MPFA is constructed and fully functional in the least possible time.