During a Press Conference held yesterday, near the Otters Waterpolo Club in Marsalforn, Alternattiva Demokratika Chairperson Dr Harry Vassallo remarked that Gozo lacked public aquatic sports facilities and that EU funds available for the development of sports facilities had not been tapped. Alternattiva Demokratika is supporting Marsalforn residents and objecting to Planning Application 01894/07 by which a club intends to excavate the foreshore for a seawater pool and to construct other sports facilities extending existing site by another 30 metres, effectively transferring a public foreshore into a private complex.

Residents were informed that 597 square metres of public foreshore and another 234 sq mt of an existing building has already been ceded by government to this club in 2005. Dr. Vassallo said "This all happened without the residents and public being informed and the Otters Club owners should at least have organized a public meeting informing all those concerned about their plans to occupy this public foreshore left in Marsalforn. Such aquatic sports facilities should form part of the existing Sports Complex in Victoria where adjacent land is available; another possibility could be the rehabilitation of the abandoned Hondoq ir-Rummien distillation plant."

"The process, whereby areas of the foreshore in Malta were effectively privatised by aquatic sports clubs, for which public money was invested, now turning into private restaurants and beach clubs, should not start happening in Gozo. Gozo deserves the construction of a common Olympic Standard pool heated to be used both in Winter and Summer for training and available to all clubs, schools and the general public, while retaining precious scarce areas of the foreshore freely accessible to the public."

AD Secretary General and spokesman for Gozo, Victor Galea, said "All Gozitans would benefit from a national indoor heated swimming pool and the government should tap EU funds to provide central aquatic sports facility. Alternattiva Demokratika has a long successful history in keeping beaches freely available to the public. We intend to protect this coastal area left in Marsalforn to defend public rights of access, as well as to secure proper aquatic sports facilities elsewhere."