Building of new Exiles Sports Club facilities

I refer to Anne Zammit’s article ‘A storm brewing at Exiles’ (The Sunday Times, February 27).

The perimeter wall mentioned in the article is, in fact, a temporary hoarding wall which must be built in line with specified safety regulations, including its height.

As the name implies, the wall will only remain until the demolition and rebuilding of the club is complete. Since the building is going to be demolished, the hoarding wall could not be erected exactly next to the building but a few metres away.

The day before the article appeared, it was decided that the hoarding wall which appeared in the photo may be reduced in length until works on that part of the premises are carried out.

In fact, this was done in agreement with the architect of the Sliema council and corrected the day after the article appeared.

Access to the foreshore will not be compromised either during construction or after the project is completed. Exiles Sports Club has never denied any public access to the foreshore; indeed, our club has always served as an access point beyond our legal obligations, sometimes at the request of the local council.

Contrary to the impression given by Ms Zammit, once the project is complete there will be no loss of car spaces. The club has absolutely no jurisdiction over the car park and no right to interfere with it.

The commuted parking contribution which the Malta Environment and Planning Authority imposed on the club, to the tune of just under €30,000, is a charge for the envisaged increase in the number of people frequenting the club.

Also, contrary to the impression given in the article, the building will not be higher than the highest point in the current premises. This is stipulated both in the Mepa permit and as a condition of the club`s lease with the Commissioner of Lands.

The concerns expressed by the Sliema council and Malta Tourism Authority during the planning process were due to the impression they were given that the current height limitation will be exceeded; these concerns were addressed by Mepa, as already stated.

It must be pointed out that when the club was first built over 20 years ago, it boasted a membership base of 30 families and barely 30 players. Today the club has grown to a family base of 120, with over 100 players and swimmers practising and training for swimming and waterpolo.

The new premises will incorporate sanitary facilities to accommodate these numbers as well as facilities for the disabled.

They will also, in the long run, generate additional income for a club that is participating in the highest levels of local waterpolo, a sport that has been transformed from a three-month summer activity to a year-round commitment, with all the financial and administrative constraints that go with it.