NGOs have expressed concern about the proposals made by the Transport Ministry to establish a water fun park at Golden Bay.

Such an activity would not be in keeping with the pristine environment of the bay, recently awarded Blue Flag Status, said the Heritage Parks Federation, made up of Nature Trust Malta, the Gaia Foundation and Din l-Art Ħelwa.

The federation said the proposal is totally incompatible with policies for marine protected areas and would cause damage with anchorages to the sea bed.

It will take up almost 300 square metres of a restricted swimmers' zone, and bring additional traffic to an already busy bay.

Golden Bay, despite its small size, already hosts a very large water sports operation and has surpassed its carrying capacity for such activity. After many years of requests on the part of the federation, the recent successful removal of the Munchies Kiosk has allowed the park managers to continue with their work to regenerate the unique sand dunes necessary for the long term environmental management of the beach.

This year, a turtle laid its nest, which is being protected by volunteers of the three organisations working together with ERA.