The developers behind a proposed hotel on the Delimara coastline have started a new campaign to stem the fallout from their controversial plans, which have seen more than 400 objections submitted to the Planning Authority.
Delimara Bay Hotel Ltd has set up a Facebook page called “Delimara: The Truth” and released a video defending plans to redevelop a dilapidated hotel in Kalanka Bay, outside development zones, into an “ecological boutique hotel” with luxury suites, bar and restaurant, and public beach facilities.
In the campaign video, the developers highlight the environmental credentials of the new hotel, which they insist will “respect the context of the site and improve the natural environment” while upgrading Kalanka Bay, which will remain public, to Blue Flag status level.
“The ecological boutique hotel will be a model of sustainable tourism,” the developers claim. “It will offer all the facilities of a commercial hotel but the required energy will all come from sustainable sources. The hotel will even offer locally-sourced organic food. This is the way forward.”
The video also features geological expert Saviour Scerri, who asserts that the development – which includes the excavation of a new tunnel from the hotel to the beach facilities – will have no negative impact on the underlying cliffs.
Independent consultants ADI said the proposed tunnel would have a major effect on the integrity and stability of the cliff
A different conclusion was reached in the environmental impact assessment carried out by independent consultants ADI, which said the proposed tunnel would have a major effect on the integrity and stability of the cliff. The elimination of the tunnel was recommended as a mitigation measure.
The developers’ PR offensive comes in the wake of a coordinated campaign by environmental activists opposed to the project, with more than 400 individuals and organisations sending in objections to the PA in recent weeks.
Read: Kalanka hotel plans will ruin 'a natural gem'
“Digging deeper into the plans reveals that this is just another project by greedy developers that ruins Maltese natural landscapes and coastlines while making some big money out of it,” the #SaveDelimara campaign says on its website, listing several grounds for objections.
The campaign is backed by environmental NGOs including Moviment Graffitti, Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent and Front Ħarsien ODZ.
The environmental impact assessment had also concluded that the project would have a major impact on the rural landscape by introducing a larger and taller hotel building with “a modern form more in keeping with an urban setting”, as well as creating a “large change” in the coastal landscape.