After ruining substantial stretches of land, land speculators have turned their attention to coastal waters to satisfy their never-ending greed, Alternattiva Demokratika warned on Saturday.

The indications that the Environment and Resources Authority has identified the coastline between Ricasoli and Żonqor Point as the most suitable part of the coastline for land reclamation is worrying, AD chairman Carmel Cacopardo told a news conference along the Xgħajra promenade.

Read: Just one place in Malta is suitable for major land reclamation, experts say

Although no definite decision has yet been taken, the identification by ERA of this zone is the result of pressures to find a site suitable for the dumping of inert waste resulting from large-scale projects such as the proposed tunnel between Malta and Gozo as well as the dB project at ITS and the Corinthia project on the Pembroke peninsula.

These projects which could well yield around one and a half million cubic metres of construction waste, Mr Cacopardo said.

Projects which could well yield around one and a half million cubic metres of construction waste

This area has already been used as a dumping site for construction waste from other large scale projects, such as the MIDI mega-project on the Tigne peninsula. It is also severely degraded as a result of the sewage outfall.

AD is aware that the government is in receipt of around 20 expressions of interest for projects involving land reclamation along various stretches of the coastline. 

It is also known that the most conspicuous are projects between Portomaso and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, notably the recent request related to the Corinthia project on the Pembroke peninsula and the area linked to Portomaso which formed part of the discarded Paceville Masterplan.

"Government is unfortunately committed in favour of land reclamation in principle and hence declarations from government officials distancing themselves from the ERA indications are not credible," Mr Cacopardo said.