Jetty project will turn Balluta into another Sliema Ferries, activists and mayor warn

An application for a private jetty in Balluta Bay will turn the area into another Sliema Ferries, bringing with it intense commercialisation, pollution, and a complete loss of public space, Moviment Graffitti’s Andre Callus and St Julian’s Mayor Albert Buttigieg have warned.

Speaking in Balluta yesterday during a protest against the development, Buttigieg said that St Julian’s was under siege, with applications threatening to take space away from the residents being submitted on a weekly basis.

“It’s like the residents are being asked to leave this place; but this is our home and we want to go on living here,” Buttigieg said.

He noted that the project, if approved, would create major problems in the locality. He said that in addition to taking up roads, public space, and even pavements, the project would severely limit public enjoyment of the bay.

He called for a “serious” study to be carried out, adding that the applicant should not be allowed to steamroll over residents just because they saw the chance to turn a profit and had the right contacts to do so.

“Those who are from here know what ferries mean; they bring savage commerce which leaves nobody in peace. The shore and the promenade will be taken up by ticket booths; St Julian’s will end up like the Sliema Ferries,” Buttigieg said.

He noted that when the council had protested against other applications, the Planning Authority had turned to existing policies to justify approval. “The PA, therefore, should now reject the application, as its own policies indicate that Balluta is not the place for such a development.”

He warned residents not to be passive: “Businesses sometimes do what they want because we are afraid of raising our voice. There is no reason to be scared, and if we need to crucify ourselves for our values, so be it,” Buttigieg said.

Callus, meanwhile, said that the application for a jetty was misleading as it would also include an ongoing ferry service.

“This goes well beyond a simple jetty, and will change the bay,” he said.

He said that a private ferry in a small bay such as Balluta would mean that an important swimming zone for residents would be lost, along with intense commercialisation of the area, and environmental damage through air and marine pollution.

He also referred to the argument that a ferry could serve an alternative means of transport for residents. “Moviment Graffitti,” he said, “is in favour of alternative transport; but this project will not bring an alternative means of transport for residents to get from one place to the other.”

“This is for tourists and for Fortina to make money,” he said.

Sliema Mayor Anthony Chircop said that the Sliema promenade had been completely taken over by the ferries.

“Let us conserve what we have and if we cannot correct past mistakes, let us at least not make any more,” he said.

San {iljan ASC in favour of jetty, ferry service near premises

Water polo club San Ġiljan ASC has said it is in favour of a jetty and ferry service next to its premises in Gorg Borg Olivier Street.

The club said that discussions with the operator had led it to believe that this would be a temporary measure until the club could construct its own pool and premises, following which the boat would dock by the side of the pool.

“We are assured that there will be very little inconvenience for members using the club’s facilities until the new pool is constructed,” the club said.

San Ġiljan ASC said that while it was one of the main clubs in Malta, it still lacked its own facilities, such as those just 100 metres away belonging to its rivals, Neptunes WPS, which the club said had been constructed in water close to what was once a sandy bay.

The club also suggested that opposition may not be to the project itself, but the place of landing, arguing that some would prefer it to be closer to them than to San Ġiljan ASC. Opposition, the club implied, was merely an excuse to take the project’s benefits away from the club, it members and its athletes in favour of somebody else.

Opposition to the project, it added, was surprising given that boats used to run the ferry service would be state-of-the-art and with low emissions compared to the boats currently in use.

The club expressed its full support to this project, one which started from an idea of the club and which is not exclusive to one operator.

San Ġiljan ASC said that, while it respected the full application process, it would not be hindered from achieving its objective of having its own premises with full training facilities. “Given the sport’s popularity, there need to be more facilities available where it can be practiced.”

The club expressed its full support for the project — one which it said had been initiated by the club but which was not exclusive to a single operator.