‘We will continue defending Marsaskala with all our strength’ – residents

Flanked by representatives from a dozen NGOs and resident groups, Marsaskala Residents’ Network (MRN) vowed to fight back against the transport and infrastructure ministry’s ongoing “regeneration” of their locality’s promenade, insisting that the government’s efforts to push the project through with “a few videos and some electoral slogans” are not going to silence them.

While the government insists that public opinion is on its side and that a public ferry in Marsaskala will help alleviate land-based traffic, MRN argues that the ferry would bring additional density and foot traffic to a town that is already heavily urbanised and struggling to keep up with its growing population.

To date, no planning permits for the €18 million regeneration project have been approved by the Planning Authority (PA), and Transport Minister Chris Bonett has refused to respond to queries about so-called “emergency permits” issued by Transport Malta to cover the promenade’s refurbishment.

“Marsaskala is not up for sale. And we will not let them take it from us. As a population, we are not the kind of people who witness these things and let them go quietly. We are a community – one that genuinely loves Marsaskala. The town needs to be developed, yes, but it shouldn’t be lost,” Caroline Caruana, a representative of MRN, said at the press conference.

“We are here and we will keep saying ‘NO’ every time anyone tries to change Marsaskala into something it isn’t. This is our town. It belongs to our families. Our children. If anyone wants to change it, whoever they are, they will find us opposing them,” Caruana added.

Besides concerns about the lack of transparency around the project and general opposition to the commercialisation of Marsaskala Bay, residents also spoke about the severe damage that could be caused to marine life in the bay, as well as the negative impact it would have on the local community that relies on it.

Previously, activists who’d spoken to The Shift had already expressed their anger about the fact that a landing area for a public ferry is being lumped together with much-needed refurbishment works on some parts of the promenade, which is why many residents consider the refurbishment as a sweetener for an otherwise bitter pill to swallow.

During today’s press conference, the residents’ group reiterated its call for the immediate suspension of all ongoing works until “full environmental, social, and archaeological studies” are carried out.

Given the Transport Ministry’s refusal to answer The Shift’s questions, the newsroom filed an FOI request to obtain further information about the unexplained use of multiple emergency and planning permits for the Marsaskala works and who benefited from the €18 million allocated to the project.

One known contractor whose vehicles have been spotted on site is Barbros Group, a family-owned construction empire that benefited from millions of euro in government contracts and has committed several illegalities by constructing a concrete batching plant in the middle of ODZ-designated land in Għaxaq.

The press conference was endorsed by NGOs, resident groups, and a political party, namely Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar, Din L-Art Ħelwa, BirdLife Malta, Ramblers’ Association of Malta, Nature Trust – FEE Malta, Moviment Graffitti, Momentum, Il-Kollettiv, Sliema Residents’ Association, Azzjoni Tuna Artna Lura, Residenti Beltin, and Għaqda Storja Kultura Birżebbuġa.