Marsaxlokk Labour mayor doubles down on council’s rejection of government’s aquaculture centre

A Labour Party proposal to develop an aquaculture research centre in Marsaxlokk has stirred controversy after the town’s local council publicly objected and continues to insist that the site must be developed into a small jogging track, which it had proposed almost 20 years ago.

Through a planning application filed in 2007, Marsaxlokk’s local council only recently managed to obtain approval to develop the proposed jogging track, after spending years overturning a refusal of its proposed development through an appeal that ended up in court.

Marsaxlokk Mayor Steven Grech told The Shift: “If you don’t have funds, you cannot finish projects. As long as things keep going the way they are, we will never be able to push forward with these kinds of initiatives. There are big problems in our locality, and we cannot resolve them if the government isn’t going to help.”

Despite the local council’s efforts, the government now plans on developing an entirely different project in the same location.

The site, located at the corner of Triq it-Trunċiera and Triq il-Port Ruman, does not appear to have any recent development applications that refer to the government’s stated intent to build an aquaculture and fisheries research centre.

The only other planning application listed on the Planning Authority’s (PA) is PA/1125/18, which was filed by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture for the construction of a facility for boat storage and minor maintenance, alongside a jogging track and public garden, which would have been located on a smaller portion of the site.

Though Marsaxlokk’s local council had formally appealed against the PA’s approval of the boat storage facility previously proposed by the government, describing the reduced size of the track as “impractical and useless”, the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) had refused the appeal.

Despite the council’s valid permit and its publicly known plans to develop the site into an open space for the benefit of the town’s residents, the CEO of Aquatic Resources Malta, former permanent secretary Frank Fabri, told the local council in November of last year that the government now plans on developing a multi-storey building on the site.

In a statement published last week, Grech and his Labour-led local council pushed back, expressing public disapproval against the new version of the aquaculture project and citing the need to prioritise residents and their open spaces as the main reasons for doing so.

The council’s condemnation of the proposal was categorical, describing the project as “an eyesore” and noting that the area’s residents were not consulted.

When reached for comment, Grech cited the council’s lack of resources and its dependence on central authorities as the main reasons a relatively small project for the benefit of the local community became an issue carried over from one local council to another.

“I am going to be very clear – I do not wish to cause the Labour Party any harm. I always used the right channels to address these concerns, but there’s a limit to how long I could do so before needing to speak openly about this,” Grech said.

“As Mayor of Marsaxlokk, I have to represent the town’s residents, and they oppose this project. I have three years left in this role, and I wish to see the council’s projects become a reality,” he added.

A banner placed by local activists protesting the government’s proposed development was swiftly taken down by employees of Aquatic Resources Malta.

The Mayor’s concerns about the town, which is popular with both tourists and locals, echo similar concerns that other local councils have also repeatedly highlighted over the years.

In the case of Marsaxlokk, the Mayor notes that an overwhelming number of tourist boats, restaurants openly occupying public space without permission, and the absence of a proper master plan for the town have led to “a lack of order”, causing residents no small measure of inconvenience.

The lack of financial resources and enforcement powers means the council cannot do much more than receive people’s complaints and chase central authorities for answers.

A quick look at the local council’s 2026 budget document shows that it received just €436,514 in contributions from the central government, which just about covers salaries, operations, maintenance, and administrative costs.