First they took the land, now they want the sea too – NGOs, mayor
• Fortina condemns ‘smear’ campaign
After choking St Julian’s and Sliema with buildings, developers now want to take over the sea as well, Astrid Vella of eNGO Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar said on Saturday.
Vella was speaking at a press conference against the proposed ferry pontoon at Balluta Bay.
Vella explained that, being sheltered, Balluta is a popular swimming zone for young and old alike, as even elderly people feel safe swimming there. This is confirmed by the fact that Balluta is included in Transport Malta's list of swimming zones.
“We have come to the point that while tuna pens have proliferated everywhere, residents and tourists are being penned into swimming enclosures and will no longer be able to swim from Balluta to Exiles, Cavallieri and Spinola, as they have done until now. In a country with a major obesity problem, this area which is so popular with young sailors, kayakers and canoeists will be out of bounds once a ferry comes steaming in every 15-30 minutes,” Vella said.
She pointed out that the 200 to 300 tourists per trip claimed by the developers would aggravate traffic congestion as coaches and taxis pull up to pick them up. Vella asked if St Julian’s seafront is to end up like Sliema Ferries, where the sea is so busy and polluted that no-one can swim or practice water sports there any more, while the pavement is taken up by ticket kiosks.
Andre Callus of Moviment Graffitti questioned the fact that the application was initially recommended for approval by the PA case officer, and only later recommended for refusal by the PA, a decision which has suspiciously been delayed.
"This is a private ferry, which is not open to the public. And even if it were, why would commuters take an expensive private ferry when there’s a public bus? Have we ever seen commuters get on a hop-on bus for their daily commute?"
Callus added that the developers’ claims that they will be using ecological boats for the trips was “worthless” as there is nothing to stop them using one of their old boats that currently pollute Sliema Ferries. Additionally, there will be nothing to stop other boats using the pontoon, further increasing traffic and pollution in the bay.
St Julian’s Mayor Albert Buttigieg expressed serious concern about the proposal, which contravenes planning policy.
“When objecting to applications at the Planning Authority we are told that we have to respect that they comply with policy, so why is this application, which clearly violates planning policy, not refused immediately, and why this delay in confirming the refusal, giving rise to suspicions of behind-the-scenes negotiations by the wealthy and powerful developers. If we have to stick to policy, so do developers.”
Buttigieg emphasised how St Julian’s is “literally under siege” from developers. Every square inch of land is built upon, leaving no recreation areas, he said. “Now they even want to take the sea away from us.”
The mayor said the St Julian’s Local Council is having to fight tooth and nail for residents’ rights, as developers are now even taking over parking spaces and pavements and have already started applying for permits for ticketing booths blocking the promenade, to service the ferry.
Fortina condemns ‘smear’ campaign by St Julian’s mayor
In a statement, Fortina Investments strongly condemned the “misinformation and smear campaign being conducted by the St Julian’s Council mayor” and said it is reserving its rights at law to take action.
A spokesman for the company said: “It is completely unacceptable that the mayor is basically accusing us of corrupt practice and that others are spreading untruths through the media and social media. No business should be subjected to such a baseless and malicious campaign when it has done everything by the book.”
“It is being alleged that the pontoon will be used exclusively by Captain Morgan. This is a lie. It is being alleged that it will be located in an area used by bathers. This is a lie. It is being alleged that our vessels will dump effluent into the area. This is a lie. It is being alleged that our company will litter the St Julian’s Bay promenade with booths as has happened on the Sliema promenade. This is a lie – there are many other operators on the Sliema promenade selling trips. It is being alleged that Captain Morgan has made an application for a booth in St Julian’s. This is a lie. It is being alleged that we are negotiating an underhand deal behind people’s backs. This is the worst lie of all.”
Fortina said it has applied for a temporary landing pontoon attached to San Ġiljan ASC water polo complex. “This will not be exclusively for our use and bears no resemblance whatsoever to the permanent berths on the Sliema/Gżira strand.”
“This temporary landing pontoon is not located in the vicinity of the Balluta sandy beach and will have absolutely no impact on bathers – unlike numerous pleasure craft that already anchor in the area – while the vessels utilised by Fortina Investments will be brand new eco-friendly boats compliant with the highest emission and environmental standards. It is baffling that NGOs should be against environmentally-friendly boats.”
“As San Ġiljan ASC has already stated, the jetty is a temporary solution which will be in place only for the duration of its project to redevelop its pool and deck area. It will then be removed since the club will then be able to operate such activities from the club itself.
“Our proposal forms part of an investment to offer innovative and alternative means of transport for tourists and locals alike by making use of our seaways. Rather than increase congestion in the area, as has also been alleged as part of the smear campaign, our services will actually take away traffic from local roads.
“Comments and feedback are welcome, but what is being put forward by the mayor and representatives of NGOs supporting him are lies and untruths that are clearly intended to derail the legitimate process,” the company said.