After all the hassle and millions spent from taxpayers’ money to relocate the Waste Water (sewage) Treatment Plant from Smart City to Ta’ Barkat, Xgħajra (2006), so that planned hotels and villas in Smart City would be at a safe distance from the plant, we now have the Government Privatisation Unit and developer Sandro Chetcuti coming up with the surprise proposal to build a 5-star hotel right next to the plant.

This site is the buffer zone between the plant and Xgħajra residents and is earmarked for landscaping, with a choice of plant species for green belts as per guidelines in odour pollution and its control. This is in order to minimise the stench which can never be totally eliminated from such waste water plants.

Mr Chetcuti, when asked by the Times of Malta (November 9) why he is in favour of building a hotel in the vicinity of Smart City – where three hotels are earmarked to be built – justified the proposal by saying that Smart City had not even submitted an application to build the hotels, and that they were needed now.

Is he already assured that permits will be issued in the proposed Outside Development Zone?

If hotels are really needed they should be built at Smart City as originally planned.

Anything else is nothing more but a means for the developer to fatten his pocket to the detriment of virgin, public and agricultural land.