I am a Marsascala-born resident in my early 50s, and have always lived in this locality which has been transformed from a nice and quiet village where we mostly knew each other quite well, to one where its population is increasing on a yearly basis.

This makes Marsascala the only locality in which the number of local councillors increased from five to seven, and then to nine.

This rapid growth in our locality is having a devastating impact. While some issues are being mitigated, such as the electricity supply and distribution and the water supply, other issues such as parking and population density are getting worse, and are made worse by the exaggerated increase in construction.

Another consequence is the increased demand in education and although the primary school was expanded, this wasn’t enough, and another State primary school is under construction. This is urgently needed, and once ready the new school will take 300 children from the existing overcrowded school.

Law enforcement is another issue. A planning application is under way to construct a new two- storey-high police station exactly in front of St Anne’s primary school. I have serious concerns about the location of this new police station, also because it will take up the only disabled parking space as well as school parking spaces. I am sure other better options exist.

Another application in progress is that of the construction of a seven-storey building for a private hospital/clinic adjacent to the new school. And last year an application was filed for a huge commercial project on ODZ land on an unused quarry exactly opposite the family park. Apart from this, another application has been submitted for a fuel station a few metres away.  We are also expecting the submission of a new application for the project which is to replace the old Jerma Palace Hotel. This site has been deteriorating and is in dire need of extensive cleaning. The local council members have unanimously requested the removal of the dilapidated building, and even though the competent authority is in agreement, the work has still not started.

The cherry on the cake is a massive building occupying a huge ODZ land at Żonqor Point for the supposedly American University of Malta led by a Jordanian construction businessman. This is neither a functioning university nor is it American. The outline plans shows that all the open space used at Żonqor point will all be taken away without a single car parking place available.

Due to this construction at Żonqor Point the water polo club can no longer make use of their facilities, and a new building is being proposed to along Salini Street protruding over 30 metres from the shore, while another building is proposed to host a new diving facility at Żonqor Street, with more land being taken up.

For all these reasons, I welcome the Opposition’s constant efforts in Parliament at helping us save Marsascala from this rapid destruction of our beautiful village.

All the Nationalist Party’s local councillors have come together and tabled a motion to be discussed at the next meeting. The main aim is to ask the government to take back the land given to the Sadeen Group as well as to upgrade the former national pool. This would give our water polo team a decent facility for training and also a much-needed embellishment of the whole area.

I honestly hope that decisions will be taken for the common good of our residents, and everyone will come forward to help save this virgin land and support us on this environmental issue. If this land is taken away from us it will be lost forever.