The Jerma Hotel has been in the news for the wrong reasons. In an island that has seen tourist numbers soar, it is indeed a shame that the site has remained abandoned for so long.

Any news about ways and means to breathe life into a building-site in neglect and shame and remove what can be considered a dangerous structure will be welcomed and applauded. I am not surprised the Marsascala local council has been favourable to an injection of life and business into a place of abuse and vandalism.

However, while I have not seen the designs of the new development, I cannot imagine how buildings that literally overshadow the historical tower can ever be acceptable. Unlike other sites, the Jerma site lies on the shore and not on the seafront. I know a member of the local council has been crusading for a return of the land to the public and another has put her foot down and abstained but, even if a return to the public is not possible, why does not the site be used for a different kind of development, sustainable, aesthetically pleasant, original? Control over haphazard development will, in the long run, keep the value of property up and enhance the area as the building regulations in the Costa Amalfitana and Capri have done.

What effect would the buildings have on the rest of Marsascala? Would it sanction the worsening of the urban jungle?

If Marsascala were to become another Buġibba, then why would tourists want to come here in the first place? It would be investing in another derelict building in a few years’ time. It would be lowering the quality of life of residents and ruining the seascape for short term gain.

Let’s not welcome with palm leaves what could be a false Messiah.