The planning authority has given its go-ahead for Kalkara creek to be transformed into a marina over the next eight years.
However, the project did not go down too well with Malta Council for Science and Technology chairman Nicholas Sammut.
He said the marina would overlap with a €22 million “national project” to restore and transform Villa Bighi – the council’s offices – into an interactive centre.
Dr Sammut explained to the planning authority board that one of the three floating pontoons of the marina, recommended for approval, would coincide with a proposed water feature of the interactive centre.
Together with his architect, Dr Sammut asked the applicant, Kalkara Marina Company Ltd, headed by Emanuel Delceppo and Transport Malta’s chief executive Stanley Portelli, whether the pontoon could be shifted 30 metres to the south.
“We didn’t know of this project and it’s smack in front of ours. Villa Bighi and the surrounding land have been abandoned for years and this project will bring it back to life,” Dr Sammut said.
He pointed out that that MCST was not against the marina project and he strongly believed that it would complement the interactive centre. Instead, he requested to postpone the project for a short while until MCST filed its application next month.
The three pontoons will be anchored via underwater cables, weighed down with concrete blocks on the seabed. Although there might be historic relics in the creek, these would not be affected.
Dr Portelli pointed out that delaying the project, which also involved issuing a tender, might come at a cost to the private operator. Also, it was “ready to go”. “This project is part of a larger one and aims to promote Malta as a yacht destination.”
Architect Edgar Caruana Montalto argued that his clients might be in breach of the tender conditions by shifting the pontoons. Doing so could also possibly lead to the tender being cancelled.
He queried why Dr Sammut had not raised these issues before, especially since the application was available for discussion in a public consultation process.
Planning Authority chairman Austin Walker said he understood there were legal issues involved and that the MCST’s request was submitted at the “eleventh hour”. He called on both parties to sit down and find a solution.
“However, I don’t believe the remedy is stopping or amending this project. Instead, it should be decided with the full understanding that there are other applications,” he said.