Captain Morgan drops plans for Balluta jetty
Captain Morgan has dropped plans to build a jetty at Balluta bay, following widespread discontent among residents about the proposal. The ferry company, which is owned by the Fortina Group, had sought to develop a jetty at the popular bay to service a hop-on, hop-off tourist ferry that it will operate. But the plans outraged locals, who argued that the popular swimming spot would be ruined by a ferry repeatedly entering and exiting it throughout the day. They noted that Balluta is designated as an official bathing bay under local plans/ Captain Morgan first suspended works on the jetty in the summer, following a week-long protest by activists and residents. It then filed a second application for a somewhat modified jetty, which it said would be smaller than the original. Opponents of the plan remained unimpressed, however, with St Julian’s mayor Alfred Buttigieg writing in Times of Malta that “Fortina Group is, once more, seeking its greedy self-interest with no care for the common good.” The company's second planning application (PA 07251/21) attracted literally hundreds of representations petitioning the PA to refuse it. On Saturday, however, Captain Morgan said that it...