The proposed five-star hotel on the site of the existing Costa del Sol restaurant at Mellieħa Bay, if approved by Mepa, will ruin forever the splendid views of the bay when coming downhill from the Ċirkewwa or Armier areas.

It is simply mind-boggling to allow the building of a seven-storey hotel by the water’s edge with an underground car park as well as residential units in Malta’s favourite sandy beach – which would certainly take quite a long time to finish while turning this scenic place into a construction site for the duration of the project.

Mellieħa Bay is already too small as it is the favourite sandy beach of the Maltese and is also frequented by an ever-increasing number of tourists.

I also assume that this five-star hotel will be given a part of the sandy beach in front of the property for the exclusive use of its very rich guests.

I understand that the owner of the Costa del Sol restaurant has been trying to develop the site since 1979. In December 1997, his application had been refused under the Labour government headed by Alfred Sant.

Hence, I am hoping that even now, under Joseph Muscat’s Labour government, Mepa board members will refuse to allow this project to go ahead since such a grave mistake could never be corrected in the future.