The Marsascala shop owners' association said yesterday 90 per cent of its members believe the development of a recycling plant as proposed by the government will have a negative impact on the business community in the area.

A survey conducted by the association among its members also indicated that 98 per cent of respondents believe the existing recycling plant should be removed.

The association said it believes that both the recycling plant and the presence of fish farms in the locality will damage Marsascala in various ways. The amount of dirt such fish farms produce was a known fact and concentrating all or the majority of fish farms off Marsascala will be equivalent to directing all the drainage system there.

The association believes that both the recycling plant and the fish farms will negatively affect the value of property and damage tourism in Marsascala.

Apart from causing damage to business and jobs, the proposed projects would also put the health of residents, workers and visitors at risk, the association said. "It seems that Marsascala is now a designated area to which all waste, dirt and drainage can be directed," it added.

The association said it was amazing how the Ministry for Tourism and Culture which had classified Marsascala as a tourism priority area could allow such a degeneration of the area to take place.