Wied iż-Żurrieq is one of those places which is somehow difficult for tourists to reach, and is very popular among residents of Qrendi, Zurrieq, Siggiewi, Safi, Kirkop, etc.

Wied iż-Żurrieq should not become another Xlendi Bay or Mgarr ix-Xini. The little sandy beach in Xlendi has been eaten away by the paving and the disastrous sewage system of the small fishing village which today seems like a little city. In Mġarr ix-Xini, the scandalous "embellishment" project and cement have ruined the bay.

We cannot allow people influential in parliament to turn every spot in Malta into a tourist attraction. It is utterly disgusting that this government (which should be representing the people) is taking the people for granted and blinding them with corporatism.

The majority of local councils in Malta are unable or unwilling to think outside the government's closed mindset.

It is shameful that decisions like this are being made without taking into consideration the context and the locals. We are in the European year of Creativity and Innovation and the solution for the Maltese economy according to the government and its representatives is IT and mass tourism.

I am sure that angling will be made illegal or moved away from the quay as happened in Ċirkewwa. I am sure that in the boat house being renovated a nice coffee shop will pop up. I am sure that the place will be infested with scuba divers.

Has the government ever heard of eco villages? Has it heard of permaculture, organic farming, agrotourism? This is what it should be looking into. We should treat our limited resources very carefully.

The €90,000 should be spent on renovating the secondary roads in this area, thus providing traffic with new ways to cover the island from the west. There are roads that lead from Marsascala to Mellieħa from the west-side of the island.

I appeal to people in the west of the island and others who appreciate our rural habitats to lobby for restoration rather then embellishment.