SOS Hondoq News

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Entrepreneurial investment


Published on the Times of Malta on Monday, 5th March, 2012 by Warren Sammut. 
With reference to the article posted online on February 24, titled Labour Proposes Indoor Pool Complex At Ħondoq, irrespective of the political party behind it, it is felt that one must express partial disagreement with this idea.
In principle, it is always good to increase facilities at bays. However, Ħondoq Bay remains generally untouched by mankind. As many members of the public are saying, the dilapidated desalination plant should make way for a succession of flora and fauna while possibly adding minimal facilities.
By building a restaurant and/or cafeteria, this will only act as a demand generator and will raise the number of people that frequent the bay.
This will only increase the environmental stress on the bay itself, which, in fact, is quite small. Such will simply create more pressure on the natural courses, not to mention indirect harm to the environment that includes waste generated by the restaurant and the extra trash people will leave.
While the promoters of this idea have definitely thought out an environmental-friendly management process, all this can be defined as unnecessary. An indoor pool in Malta is generally associated with winter. Ħondoq Bay per se will not attract any swimmers in winter and, thus, although a new indoor pool facility will be available in Gozo, it will be somewhere far away, which will make Gozitans think twice about using it in winter.
The argument that this new complex will create jobs would not hold. This complex can be relocated elsewhere.
All political parties must be reminded that there are many dilapidated buildings all around Malta and Gozo, even in central urban areas. Furthermore, they must also be reminded that such entrepreneurial investment in the internal non-coastal towns and cities would revitalise locality centres, which, in some cases, is much needed. One should suggest investments in the large internal cities (such as Qormi, Żejtun, Birkirkara, Żabbar and Mosta in Malta and the central zone in Gozo), that, despite being major urban centres, lack the desired attention.
On a final note, the motive behind this letter is not political but to offer a change in mentality.