Commercialization of the coast needs to cease immediately and the authorities need to take action to protect what's left of it, Malta’s green party said on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference against the proposed development of the Villa Rosa site, ADPD party members pointed at how the coastline had been the target of developers for a long time now.
The controversial project at the Villa Rosa site in St George’s Bay, St Julians involves the construction of three towers – one of 34 floors and two of 27 floors - with a footprint of 50,000 square metres in an area that is already heavily overdeveloped.
ADPD Deputy General Secretary Melissa Bagley said the project was "not acceptable" and would have a far reaching negative impact on the surrounding environment and residents.
To add insult to injury, the public purse would be expected to foot the bill for the upgrade to infrastructure required to support this massive development.
“How long do we have to suffer such projects where public land is handed over for the profits of the few?” asked Bagley.
ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo pointed to several examples of how the public’s right to enjoy the coast was being trampled on by commercial interests.
“Some of the glaring examples include Manoel Island, Balluta Bay, the Birgu waterfront and yacht marina, the Valletta Waterfront and proposed marinas for Marsaskala and Kalkara. On a smaller scale we have also seen the takeover of pavements and open spaces by commercial entitities all over the country,” Cacopardo said.
He pointed out that what’s left of the coast should be protected for the enjoyment of all and not just for those who can afford it.
“The coast belongs to us all,” concluded Cacopardo.
He pointed to the law as one of the reasons that the coastline was being so easily target by developers.
Four years ago Parliament approved legislation to safeguard the coastline by declaring it as public domain, he said.
Environmental NGOs had also identified a number of sites that qualified for protection but no action was taken by the authorities, he pointed out.
"Not even one site had been declared as protected under this law yet," he continued.
"Why approve such laws if there is no intention to implement them?” asked Cacopardo.
He said the common excuse for such projects was to offer more beds for tourist accommodation, but this was no longer credible.
A Deloitte study commissioned by the MHRA found that Malta would require 4.7 million tourists annually if all the current projects achieve an occupancy of around 80 per cent.
Such a scenario would be “pure madness,” Cacopardo said as it would mean more than doubling the current number of tourist arrivals.
He pointed out that even the government-stated target of 3 million tourists per annum was too high.
"The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) would be more on target if it would raise the alarm that unbridled speculative development is killing the goose that lays the golden egg – our country’s character," he concluded.