The Church’s Environment Commission has joined in the debate on the controversial tourist complex and a marina proposed for the picturesque bay at Ħondoq ir-Rummien in Gozo, saying the project was unsustainable.

In a report published yesterday, the commission said it was difficult to justify the developers’ claims that the project was for the long-term benefit of Gozitans because it would not conserve the natural beauty of the island, which should be the main asset to draw tourism to the sister island.

The commission rallied people openly against the project, saying that stopping the project was only the first step.

“Stopping this project will not be enough. It should actually only be the first step. There is an urgent need to be proactive in the way we care for the natural heritage. Ways have to be found to address the neglected state of the disused quarries and the resultant environmental scars in the context of an eco-island,” it said.

The state of abandon of the area, which includes a disused quarry, has been a key argument of those promoting the project. But Qala residents, who rejected the project overwhelmingly in a referendum, have insisted that the project was not the way to go about rehabilitating the area.

“Under the pretext of the need to clean up the disused quarry and rehabilitate the site, there is a danger of land speculation without regard to what the tourism product will actually lose,” the commission said.

It called for the setting up of holistic national programmes for areas such as Ħondoq ir-Rummien, which enhanced the residents’ standard of living and improved the tourist product.

The commission said it decided to voice its opinion because it felt that the debate on the project addressed fundamental principles and important decisions.

The proposal incorporates a five-star hotel, residential units and villas, shops, restaurants and a marina. It has been dogged by controversy since Gozo Prestige Holidays filed an application for the development eight years ago.

The multi-million euro development was inspired by the hanging garden effect of villages dotting the Amalfi Coast, Italy but environmental groups and residents have not been impressed.