The Maritime Authority said today that it is working on the process to obtain development permits for permanent yacht marinas at Sa Maison and Marsa Menqa and more berthing facilities at Ta' Xbiex/Manoel Island once a breakwater is built at Marsamxett. The new marinas will provide 860 new berths.

Reacting to proposals, made in a public consultation, for the development of new berthing facilities, the authority said development of permanent yacht marinas should be focused within existing harbours.

It said that temporary marinas should not be exclusively restricted to installed floating pontoons but must also possibly utilise other systems such as organised mooring fields in certain areas.

In its recommendations on the suggested sites for new permanent yacht marinas, the authority said:

Sa Maison

Discussions were held with the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) in order to identify an alternative site to base the Maritime Squadron within the Grand Harbour. Due to the requirements of the AFM and the limited quay space available in the Grand Harbour the possibility of developing the Sa Maison site to accommodate a new marina without the need to relocate the Maritime Squadron from their current base was considered.

A solution was found whereby the AFM would concede part of their site to make way for the development of a circa. 300 berth marina extending from the Gozo Channel berth at Sa Maison up to beyond the existing entrance of the AFM base.

Sliema

For the time being, this site is not being recommended for further consideration in view of the investment required to construct an adequate breakwater in relation to the number of berths created and the necessary reclamation to provide adequate parking facilities and amenities.

Ta' Xbiex / Manoel Island

As detailed in the report the development of 380 additional berthing spaces within this area is dependent on the construction of a breakwater at Lazaretto Point by MIDI plc.

Valletta

For the time being, this site is not being recommended for further consideration in view of the investment required to construct an adequate breakwater in relation to the number of berths created and the potential lack of amenity as the area is extensively used for recreational purposes.

Marsa - Menqa

The Menqa site is being recommended for development as a permanent marina in line with Government's vision to regenerate the Grand Harbour. However, the timing associated with the development of this site is dependent upon the relocation of the petroleum berth.

Kalkara

The MMA commissioned Colin Toms & Partners (CTP) to prepare the necessary technical studies associated with installing a floating breakwater at Kalkara, being an essential prerequisite for the development of a permanent marina at this site. These studies have concluded that a floating breakwater does not provide the required levels of shelter as it does not adequately protect the site from the longer period waves created by the North Easterly swell. In this respect this site is not being recommended for further consideration.

St Paul's Bay - Veccja

For the time being, this site is not being recommended for further consideration in view of the investment required to construct an adequate breakwater in relation to the number of berths created.

Marsascala

For the time being, this site is not being recommended for further consideration in view of the investment required to construct an adequate breakwater in relation to the number of berths created. Given that the development of this site as proposed by MMA is unlikely to be feasible on a stand alone basis it may eventually be considered as part of a proposal to further develop Marsascala.

St Julian's

This site is not being recommended for further consideration due to the likely environmental impact associated with the development and the loss of amenity due to the proximity of established swimmers' zones.

Birzebbuga

For the time being, this site is not being recommended for further consideration in view of the investment required to construct an adequate breakwater in relation to the number of berths created. Given that the development of this site is unlikely to be feasible on a stand alone basis it may eventually be considered as part of the plan to develop the 31st March site.

Temporary Marinas

On temporary marinas, the authority said the consultation feedback highlighted a concern that the development of temporary marinas in the proximity of swimmers' zones was not considered desirable and therefore the sites at St. Paul's Bay (Veccja) and St Julian's were not being recommended for further consideration.

The MMA considered the following sites as being suitable for the development of temporary marinas: Mgarr (Gozo), Cirkewwa, Marfa (ex Gozo ferry quay), Qawra (East side), Ta' Xbiex (next to Royal Malta Yacht Club), Ta' Xbiex, pending the development of a permanent marina, between Gzira gardens and the waterpolo club, Sa Maison, pending the development of a permanent marina and assuming Gozo ferry is transferred to Grand Harbour, Kalkara (between Villa Bighi and Villa Portelli), Marsascala (Zonqor point), Birzebbuga (San Gorg).

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.