Telling it like it is

The developers of Qala Creek set the record straight on what the Gozitan project is really all about. They stress that public access to Hondoq ir-Rummien Bay will be facilitated - not restricted - as residents fear.

Gozo Prestige Holidays, the developers of the Qala Creek project in Gozo, are seeking to reassure local residents that the development will not impinge on access to Hondoq ir-Rummien bay, the roads leading to it, or any of the nearby public areas.

Interviewed by The Sunday Times last week, Gozo Prestige Holidays director Victor Bajada and project architect Edward Bencini said that the general public have access to all areas of Qala Creek and will be given preference for employment there. The public will have unhindered and improved access to the bay thanks to new, wider roads.

But Dr Bajada and Mr Bencini say local residents have been badly misinformed about the project for no apparent reason and are being coerced into expressing their disapproval in a referendum organised by the local council next weekend.

Last summer the council said it would not express itself on the project until the 1,700 residents gave their feedback on it. It now appears to be turning its back on the project. Dr Bajada says the council never informed or involved him in the referendum, which, whatever the outcome, is not binding.

Over the past few days, residents have also been asked to sign a petition against the project by another local pressure group, seemingly encouraged by members of the local clergy. The results of this petition have never been divulged, according to Dr Bajada.

Qala Creek, estimated to cost Lm30-Lm35 million, includes a five-star hotel, a first class residential village, and a 150-berth marina on the site of a disused quarry in Qala, all of which is freehold, private property owned by Dr Bajada and Joseph Cassar.

Abandoned since the Eighties, the quarry is now an eyesore, used for the illegal dumping of household and construction waste. Some 500,000 cubic metres of first quality lower coralline limestone will be extracted from the quarry and will be stockpiled in Mellieha and San Pawl tat-Targa.

The sides above the quarry will not be built and the project will be limited to the proposed village. The hotel and residential village will be flanked by a 25-tumolo eco-farm on one side, and 18 tumoli of recovered, landscaped garigue on the other.

The holistic project, which aims to create a little Porto Cervo in Gozo, should be completed in 2006. Around 400 jobs are expected to be created, and Qala residents and Gozitans will be given priority during recruitment.

An exhibition illustrating the plans for the project, which falls within the Gozo Local Plan devised by MEPA, was held last summer and a public hearing attended by about 200 people was held on September 10. A suggestion box taken away by MEPA on the day was found to contain 370 suggestions, including 50 submitted by Qala residents and 40 by Maltese residents. Only two contributions expressed disapproval of the project.

Mr Bencini said three meetings were held with the local council last August, and on two occasions, the developers were accompanied by marine engineer Joe Sciortino to reassure the councillors that the necessary measures were being taken to protect the bay's environment.

While the exhibition was being held, mayor Paul Buttigieg handed Mr Bencini a list of 18 questions and promised that the answers would be explained to Qala residents. Mr Bencini says the information he gave the mayor was never shared with the residents.

Answering the mayor's queries, Mr Bencini reassured him that the access road to Hondoq ir-Rummien was going to be completely rebuilt, widened, resurfaced and levelled properly. The bends would be redesigned with proper 'superelevations' to ensure easier and safer driving.

The bay would remain untouched and the existing wharf would increase to 117 metres, from the current 70 metres. It would be resurfaced and embellished with benches and public facilities, including a kiosk that would blend in with the environs. The public area where residents enjoy barbecues will be increased to 6,600 square metres from its current 6,540 square metres.

The entire breakwater will be embellished and resurfaced with 'printed' concrete. Barbecue pits will be installed, surrounded by benches, and embellished with trees and flower-beds suitable for a coastal environment. The barbecue, camp-bed and parking areas would be designed in consultation with the local council and the MEPA.

The local council had expressed concern about the impact of heavy vehicles transporting construction material in the area. The developers say that the new wharf will be able to accommodate a vessel similar in size to a Gozo Channel ferry to facilitate the transportation of material on site, and drastically reduce heavy vehicle traffic through Qala. All excavated material will be transported directly to Cirkewwa from the site, and all construction materials from Malta will arrive at the Hondoq quay.

Hondoq ir-Rummien Bay will be accessible to the public throughout the construction phase, especially as most materials will be transported by sea, or to the east side of the project with the use of tower cranes and other equipment. Some inconvenience will be caused during the reconstruction of the access road which will be carried out in stages over four winter months. Access to the bay will still be possible through the project site.

The existing slipway will be removed but another will be in place in an area indicated by the local council.

Where parking near the bay is concerned, the project will ensure that while providing parking for the same number of cars as at present, parking will be organised so as to be separate from public walkways. The final design will be confirmed following consultation with Qala council.

The hotel will be accessed from the top part of the project area, furthest away from the bay, so parking facilities near the bay will not be affected.

Qala Creek will have its own reverse osmosis and sewage treatment plants, making it entirely self-sufficient and environment-friendly. All water will be separated from the sludge and will be recycled as second class water and for irrigation purposes.

Every yacht berthed at the marina, which will measure 55 metres at its narrowest point and 80 metres at its widest, will be bound by stringent rules to prevent marine pollution.

Yacht owners will have to abide by modern practices, in line with the latest European Union codes on marine impact control, and will have to be equipped with holding tanks to prevent them from releasing oils, refuse or drainage into the sea. Moreover they will also have to abide by strict EU directives on antifouling.

Boats berthing temporarily at the breakwater will also have to abide by strict regulations.

All the main construction equipment will be placed on the front part of the site to ensure that the marina opening to the sea can only happen after two and a half years, by which time the marina pit will have been totally cleared of all fine dust and sludge. This will ensure that construction accidents which could pollute the bay in any way will be completely prevented.

It is also being proposed that the developers will finance a project, assisted by MEPA and the University of Malta, to create artificial reefs, either in the form of trellis works or scuttled wrecks, to encourage marine life to flourish. Gozo Prestige Holidays is also undertaking to fund studies on the marine life generated by the artificial reefs.

Gozo Prestige Holidays has submitted its Project Description Statement (PDS) to MEPA, pending the approval of its planning applications. MEPA will now issue the developers with terms of reference so that an Environment Impact Assessment that will also cover marine life will be compiled.

MEPA is also expected to tie planning permission with substantial financial guarantees to cover hefty penalties should the developers infringe planning obligations.

The developers assured the mayor that the project would ensure that the quality of life and opportunities in Qala primarily and in Gozo generally would improve tremendously. That besides the multiplier effect that the project would have on the local economy.

The developers have undertaken to upgrade, increase and finance public facilities which would otherwise have been funded by the local authorities.

They have also committed themselves to include within their project 11 proposed conditions recommended by the Draft Gozo Local Plan.

Gozo Prestige Holidays is also committed to finance a heritage trail from Hondoq ir-Rummien to St Anthony's fort, where a visitor centre will also be installed. From here, access will also be facilitated to two rocky bays which are currently only accessible by boat.

Dr Bajada says Gozo now attracts a better quality tourist and the project aims to increase the sister island's facilities in this market, which is currently faring better than Malta's. Gozitans will also be able to share in and enjoy the luxury of a development that respects and embellishes the local environment.

Dr Bajada and Mr Bencini say Qala residents "are not considering losses to Gozo" should this important investment be directed elsewhere.

And the referendum? This is finally up to the people to decide whether they want a project that will provide all these benefits to the Gozitan community or not.