Transport Malta's plans for a Marsascala yacht marina will suffocate the bay, Moviment Graffitti is warning.

The proposal, which was published on Friday, was also met with scepticism from local council minority leader John Baptist Camilleri, who said that the marina spelt "suicide" for the village. 

Graffitti meanwhile noted that the project, for which TM had just issued a tender, was "excessive" and will take up a lot of public space. 

The NGO questioned whether the project was still needed, considering it formed part of 15-year-old local plans. The government, it said, was not duty-bound to complete the yacht marina project.

"While according to the tender the project is being planned in an environmentally-friendly manner, in reality, it involves a lot of dredging in Marsascala bay. It will also significantly reduce the sea currents... what about the Magħluq inlet," it asked.

Graffitti said the project was not in the public interest, but would only benefit some businesspeople who did to respect their own community. 

Last month a group of Marsascala residents called on the government to call off a "sham design contest" launched in the same locality by the Malta Tourism Authority.

The residents joined forces with local councillors and written to Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, Prime Minister Robert Abela and Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia demandin an immediate halt to the design contest which they fear was conceived to benefit businessmen and not locals.