Fortina ferry will get berth on St Julian’s water polo land reclamation

A massive 3,388sq.m land reclamation project to accommodate two pools and a lido for the St Julian’s water polo club, will include a seawall extending beyond the edge of the pitch to incorporate the jetty for the Fortina Group’s hop-on, hop-off ferry.

One of the owners of the Fortina Group, Edward Zammit Tabona, is the CEO of the water polo club.

The current berth for the private ferry service is being built a short distance to the south west of the club when it was controversially approved by the Planning Authority last year, despite strong objections by the St Julian’s local council and Moviment Graffitti, who insisted that the project was incompatible with the Balluta Bay swimming area.

Originally in February 2019, the PA’s planning commission, chaired by architect Simon Saliba, had indicated that it would refuse the permit application, only to grant approval a month later.

While the ferry berth’s new location will be located further away from the recently replenished Balluta beach, the land reclamation project will inevitably alter the hydro-dynamics of the bay.

Having screened the proposed development, the Environment and Resources Authority has said the proposed lido and club facilities require a full Environment Impact Assessment in view of the project’s “unclear and potentially significant impacts”.

The ERA noted that Posidonia oceanica, an important seaweed habitat protected by EU law due to its role in oxygenating coastal waters, is present in the footprint of the project. “The physical loss of marine seabed habitats due to land reclamation, which may result in deterioration of the environmental status as defined by relevant EU policy, is envisaged as a major adverse impact. This may be intensified by the operations of the ferry service.”

The proposal is likely to lead to significant changes to the coastline due to the extension of the coast as well as the extension and construction of a sea-defence wall.

According to the ERA, this is likely to result in the deterioration of the water quality especially in view of “the limited water circulation within the bay area and the physical configuration of the coastline”. Another possible impact is “increased turbidity “and changes in wave reflection patterns.

And while the purported intention of Fortina’s ferry service is to alleviate road traffic, according to ERA this development “will contribute to marine traffic” and therefore further assessment is required to determine the implications the ferry service has on the environment.

The St Julian’s WPC project will also include a large deck that will serve as a lido next to the pools. Approximately 250sq.m of the deck area will be used to accommodate the restaurant’s seating area that will be equipped with tables and chairs while the rest will be occupied by sunbeds and umbrellas.

The larger of the two pools will be 33m long and 20m wide, large enough to accommodate a senior men’s water polo game. The second pool, which will only be 14.4m long and 10.6m wide, will be used for teaching purposes.

The development also includes a restaurant and a sufficient footprint to accommodate a diving school operator. The promenade will be upgraded into a public plaza, whilst the existing kiosk will not be modified. Access to the shoreline will remain unobstructed along the entire length of the site boundary.

The San Ġiljan Aquatic Sports Club claims its land reclamation benefits club members and ferry patrons, but also local residents and nearby business owners. “The project will result in a sports facility and restaurant which can be used all year round. This is important in helping to improve the general health and fitness levels of the nation.”

Naturally, an increased number of people will visit the facility to use the ferry service, which the club claims “will also help support the economy of local businesses”.

But in its project statement, the club acknowledges that the project may be a nuisance to some local residents and business owners “as it does not include any car parking spaces so the increased numbers of people visit the area will have to make use of the existing street parking”. It hopes that the incorporation of the ferry-landing site, will “hopefully reduce the number of cars in the nearby vicinity.”

A traffic study recently submitted by the club concludes that the project will not create any additional traffic over and above the existing 21,000 vehicles using the road on a daily basis. It claims that the lido will not increase traffic as “most of the patrons” will be local or tourists from nearby hotels along Triq Borg Olivier “which have few facilities”.

While recognizing the visual impact of the proposed project, the club says the project has been designed with the surrounding area in mind.

In its 2017 election programme, the Labour Party had pledged “to enter into discussions with the San Giljan club to consider the possibility of constructing a pool”. The club presently lacks a permanent pool structure, which can be used during adverse weather conditions, particularly when the sea is rough.