Pressure group revs up campaign to 'save' Hondoq Bay

Published on www.timesofmalta.com on Monday 3rd May, 2010.

A lobby group working to 'save Hondoq Bay' in Gozo has launched an internet campaign urging readers to write to Mepa voicing their objection to plans for the building of a hotel, yacht marina and other facilities alongside the site.

MEPA is asking the public to submit comments regarding the Environment Impact Statement (EIS) before May 12.

A letter which readers are being asked to submit, calls for a change to the 2006 local plans so that Hondoq would be designated as a nature park, as it was before the plan was last revised. s

"As confirmed by the MEPA Auditor, there was no proper public consultation for the 2006 Local Plans which accommodated a touristic development at Hondoq which will ruin the quality of life of the villagers of Qala. From the sociological point of view, the bay and its surroundings are an asset to invigorate the families of the people of Qala, Gozo, Malta, and tourists, when they meet to relax, discuss and dine in the evening breeze of the hot summer months," the letter says.

"Qala village already has the second highest rate of air pollution in Gozo which is set to increase due to the constant dust and vehicle emissions of the heavy vehicle traffic that will pass through the narrow streets of the village core, not only during the construction but also afterwards, once the hotel is operating. We also object to the fact that the Environment Impact Assessment has been completed without the necessary corrections to the Traffic Impact Assessment which is based on some serious inaccuracies."

The letter also says that Gozo cannot afford to turn Hondoq ir-Rummien in another urban area like Xlendi, Marsalforn and Mgarr, as that would deprive people of places to relax in contact with nature and the natural environment, away from urban surroundings.

"Such a development will also have a negative impact on Gozo’s tourism, as it will put off tourists who come to the area specifically to enjoy the unspoilt character of Hondoq Bay which even the developers’ assessors admit will be negatively affected by the project."

The villagers have already expressed themselves on this point, with 85% voting against the project in a referendum held in the village.

Hondoq Bay, at the top of Gozo facing Comino, is a small sandy/rocky beach with an old quay on one side. An old water distiller lies empty behind the bay while a quarry from which rock for the Grand Harbour breakwater was cut early in the last century, lies disused on one side of the road leading down to the bay.

http://raxerri.com/soshondoq/

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