Considering myself to be a proud Maltese citizen, I take great pride in the way various historical buildings have been restored and their surroundings upgraded. An example of this is Vittoriosa’s Ditch (Il-Foss tal-Birgu), which I recently visited and which has been very well embellished.

I also applaud the way certain mayors and local councillors defend the rights of their locality, such as the mayor of Ġżira, who expressed his concern over the development of Manoel Island.

However, I find the construction of tall buildings in various parts of the country totally unacceptable.

As a resident of Marsascala I totally abhor the proposed deve­lopment planned for the village, including the new waterpolo pitch on Triq is-Salini, the Ameri­can University at Żonqor Point and the tall towers to replace the Jerma Palace Hotel.

Standing halfway along the promenade of Triq ix-Xatt and facing the sea, I can just imagine these three projects and how badly my village will be affected by them.

The existing picturesque landscape will be completely ruined. The open countryside at Żonqor will become restricted and limi­ted. Construction equipment will wreak havoc along the streets of Marsascala, causing much discomfort to its residents.

I believe we’re still in time to save our quaint village of Marsascala from being destined to such a poor state.