Speculators and government: allies in ruining coastal waters, says AD

Green Party Alternattiva Demokratika Chairman Carmel Cacopardo took prospective land reclamation plans to task saying, “After ruining substantial stretches of land, local land speculators have apparently now turned their attention to our coastal waters to satisfy their never-ending greed.”

Addressing a press conference at the Xgħajra promenade yesterday morning, Cacopardo said indications were that the Environment and Resources Authority has identified the coastline between Ricasoli and Zonqor Point as the most suitable part of the coastline for land reclamation is worrying.

In so doing, Cacopardo said, the Authority is in fact stating that the accumulated degradation of the area is in itself a condemnation for further environmental damage.

“Although no definite decision has yet been taken, the identification of this zone is the result of pressure being exerted to find a site suitable for the dumping of inert waste from large scale projects such as the proposed tunnel between Malta and Gozo, as well as the db project at ITS and the Corinthia project on the Pembroke peninsula. These projects could well yield around one and a half million cubic metres of construction waste.

“This area has already been used as a dumping site for construction waste from other large scale projects, such as the MIDI mega-project on the Tigné peninsula. It is also severely degraded as a result of the sewage outfall.”

AD said it was aware that the government had received “around 20” Expressions of Interest for projects involving land reclamation on various stretches of the coastline. Decisions on these projects are still pending.

Cacopardo said: “It is also known that the most conspicuous are projects between Portomaso and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, notably the recent request related to the Corinthia project on the Pembroke peninsula and the area linked to Portomaso which formed part of the discarded Paceville Masterplan.

“The government is unfortunately committed to favouring land reclamation in principle and hence, declarations from government officials distancing themselves from the ERA indications are not credible.”

Cacopardo stressed that AD “is against extending the pressures of land speculation beyond our coastline and urges the government to embark on measures to protect the coastline and access thereto in respect of which various requests by eNGOs have been pending for ages”.

During the press conference, two AD local council candidates were introduced: Donal Kelly for the Xghajra local council and Daniel Desira for the Marsascala local council.