The redevelopment of the Jerma Hotel site will involve land speculation. Carmel Cacopardo, AD Chairperson spoke about the issue when he addressed a press conference in front of the Jerma Hotel. The site has been abandoned and vandalised since 2007. The Jerma Hotel, was the only hotel operating in the south of the country. Its closure, undoubtedly, frustrated efforts to bring tourism to the south of Malta.
Today the Planning Authority is considering a planning application for the old hotel to be demolished and replaced by a new development. Like the Pembroke development this site occupies around 38,000 square meters along the coast. In the past the praxis was to sacrifice land along the coast to develop the tourism industry. Now the development will consist of a hotel together with residential development. The developer wants buildings with a height of between 13 and 15 storeys. This new monster on the coast of Marsaskala set to include 166 flats and a 250 bed hotel.
The exaggerated height of the building being proposed is not only at odds with other development in the area but will also hide the Saint Thomas Tower.
When the hotel was built originally in 1982, government had granted the land for touristic purposes – that is a hotel. In those days developing the industry meant sacrificing parts of the coast. Nowadays the same land will be used for land speculation. This is unacceptable. The coast should be accessible to the public. Hence, the Jerma site should be taken back into the public domain and turned into an open public space.
The coast belongs to the many and not to the few.
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Il-Jerma: għall-ispekulazzjoni ukoll
L-iżvilupp mill-ġdid tas-sit fejn illum hemm il-Lukanda Jerma se jinvolvi spekulazzjoni ta’ art ukoll. Dan qalu Carmelo Cacopardo, Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika meta indirizza konferenza stampa quddiem il-Lukanda Jerma li ilha mitluqa u abbandunata sa mill-2007, f’liema perjodu kienet vandalizzata.
Il-Lukanda Jerma, sakemm damet topera kienet l-unika lukanda fin-nofsinnhar tal-pajjiż. L-għeluq tagħha, bla dubju, kienet daqqa ta’ ħarta għall-isforzi biex it-turiżmu jinġieb ukoll lejn in-nofsinnhar.
Quddiem l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar, bħalissa hemm applikazzjoni biex il-lukanda qadima tal-Jerma titwaqqa’ u flokha jsir żvilupp ġdid. Bħal Pembroke din l-art b’qies ta’ madwar 38,000 metru kwadru mal-kosta, li fil-passat ingħatat għat-turiżmu issa se tkun żviluppata f’lukanda u bini residenzjali. B’għoli ta’ bejn 13 u 15-il sular dan il-monstru ġdid mal-kosta ta’ Marsaskala jidher li se jkun fih 166 flat u lukanda ta’ 250 sodda.
L-għoli esaġerat tal-binja li qed tkun proposta mhux biss tistona mal-mod kif inhu żviluppat l-inħawi imma ukoll taħbi t-Torri ta’ San Tumas.
Meta l-lukanda nbniet oriġinalment, fl-1982, il-konċessjoni ta’ art mill-Gvern kienet għall-użu turistiku. Għat-turiżmu dakinnhar kienet sagrifikata parti mill-kosta. Illum ġaladraba l-art ser tingħata in parti għall-ispekulazzjoini mhux ġustifikat li l-kosta tibqa’ mhux aċċessibli għall-pubbliku. Il-kosta għandha tkun pubblika u għaldaqstant il-gvern għandu jieħu lura din l-art. L-art għandha tinbidel fi spazju pubbliku miftuħ.
Għax il-kosta hi tagħna lkoll, mhux tal-ispekulaturi.
