A proposed dual breakwater system to shelter Marsalforn from rough seas has been received with mixed feelings amid concerns that the project would turn the popular bathing spot into a port or perhaps a yacht marina. 

Unveiled by the Gozo Ministry last Saturday in a news conference to which media was not invited, the fresh plans supersede those presented in 2011, which had never materialised. Under the new proposal, the entire mouth of the bay will be enclosed by two breakwaters with a small gap in between, which will become the only access to the outer sea. 

The design incorporates the reconstruction of the Santa Maria Point breakwater on the Qbajjar side over a span of 200 metres, and the construction of another arm, jutting out 170 metres on the Għar Qawqla side.

However, in a statement the ministry pointed out that prior to submitting a development application, further scientific and environmental studies were being commissioned. The project forms part of a master plan for the embellishment of the seafront.

While the announcement – made just days after the seas had once again caused havoc along the seafront – was welcomed, a series of artist’s impressions of the project published on Facebook dampened the enthusiasm.

The debate revolved around the decision to have two breakwaters rather than one, amid fears that this would hinder the circulation of seawater and render the bay unfit for swimming. Moreover, the design fuelled speculation that plans could be in the pipeline to convert part of the bay to a yacht marina.

The water already stinks every time the bay is full of boats

“If it is going to remain a swimming area, pleasure boats have no place in what will become an almost enclosed and protected bay. The water already stinks every time the bay is full of boats, which leave all sorts of residue,” one aggrieved Marsalforn resident remarked. 

On the other hand, those who were behind the project drew comparisons with the inland sea at Dwejra, saying it was never filthy despite its natural rock surroundings.  

Contacted by the Times of Malta, Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana said that such issues of sea current and water circulation would be addressed by two studies being commissioned through a public call. Asked if she would exclude that part of the bay was being earmarked for a yacht marina, the minister insisted that the project was about a breakwater. 

Times of Malta also asked about the reason why the media was not invited for the “press event”, even though the ministry itself had made mention of it in a reply given over the same issue, last week. However, the ministry distanced itself from the decision saying it followed “standard procedure” while referring us to the Department of Information which handles such invites.  

In his reply, DOI director Paul Azzopardi confirmed that the media had not been invited on the grounds of the “low response” for Gozo press conferences. Moreover, he justified the decision saying that the media had been furnished with a press release, photos and footage of the event.   

Nonetheless, this newspaper pointed out that it failed to understand the use of holding a “press event” only for the media not to be allowed to ask questions. Decisions on the participation or not in such events should be the sole prerogative of the editor, the Times of Malta insisted.

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