Construction of a destination port
Date : 2010Client : Qala Local Council
Qala Local Council requested an evaluation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted with respect to the Construction of a Destination Port at Ħondoq ir-Rummien. This development included the construction of a destination port comprising a hotel, yacht marina and a tourist village at Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Qala, Gozo.
The EIS stated that Malta is currently failing to fully exploit the increasing yachting activity taking place in the Mediterranean, which activity is on the increase. This was a major opportunity which the current development proposal for the marina at Ħondoq Ir-Rummien is taking advantage of. Furthermore, the EIS argued that this project, in its totality, will help to further diversify the tourism sector.
The evaluation report argued, contrary to the EIS, that the proposed project for Ħondoq Ir-Rummien would have an adverse impact on a sacred landscape. This landscape should be spared from destruction. The case of Ħondoq ir-Rummien could be a first for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority if it started considering the protection of sacred sites through scheduling.
Sacredness has long been intrinsically associated with the site earmarked for this development and the surrounding environs, an association which dates back several centuries. Indeed, it is the harbour ('qala') which gives the locality of Qala its name. Ħondoq ir-Rummien gives an identity to Qala, as it has been a destination port for several centuries. The development project was a secular, hedonist, speculative project.
Click here to download the Comments on the Environmental Impact Statement.