The proposed shooting range in Mosta that threatened to destroy the integrity and harmony of a peaceful, natural area has been shot down by the government, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.
Since the project was announced, concerns were raised from different sectors of society on the environmental and social impact of the project. Among them were environmental groups, residents and the Jesuit community that runs the Mount St Joseph retreat house nearby.
Yet it was not these concerns that led to the project’s dismissal. Its proponents, the Russian-owned U-Group, failed the due diligence process conducted prior to the project’s approval. It is therefore financial considerations that killed the idea of a shooting range in the proposed site at Il-Busbesija in Mosta.
The government will now move to the next preferred bidder for a project in the area since the shooting range was the result of a call for proposals. The project outlined by the next bidder proposed a retreat home with agritourism activities. This project has yet to undergo environmental and social assessments.
Details of the project are not yet available but it seems to be more in line with calls from objectors to the shooting range, who were concerned about a massive project Outside Development Zones and disturbance to the peace.
The site hosts World War 11 military barracks that showed up on a 2013 government list of sites in a call for expressions to restore historical buildings through projects that “create sustainable jobs while boosting the country’s economy and infrastructure”.
Of 28 proposals submitted, the one gunning for Malta’s largest shooting range found favour. The proposed shooting range at Il-Busbesija was to cover an area of about 300 square metres, which is over 10 times the size of the original military huts on site earmarked by government for conservation and management.
The shooting range was planned just a stone’s throw away from the Jesuits’ retreat home, highly valued as a place of restful silence on a congested island.
The Jesuits were adamantly opposing the development because of the negative impact on Mount St Joseph retreat house, which last year hosted more than 9,000 visitors.
Despite threats made to them linked to their opposition, the priests stuck to their guns and garnered public support. A Facebook page set up for the campaign got close to 16,000 members. An online petition got over 10,000 signatures.
The Church’s Environment Commission also supported the cause, saying in a statement that the environment around the retreat house deserved to be protected for the sake of the Maltese population.
The great majority of Mosta residents who attended a public hearing on the planned shooting range last May also expressed themselves against the project saying it should be abandoned. Many appealed to the local council to oppose the proposal, but the council had not yet taken a stand on the matter.