Need for more landscaping

Abstract

January saw the first mention of the terms of reference for the demolition and subsequent reconstruction of the Golden Sands Hotel at Ghajn Tuffieha. I had thought of including this snippet of news in the "silver linings" section but from past experience I thought it would be wiser to wait for the eventual construction of the new hotel before rejoicing. The demolition of the Golden Sands Hotel, however, cannot but be taken as a positive development, since we will be finally relieved of the sight scarring our beautiful Golden Bay. The unsightly mound of the hotel is even more striking if seen along the way from Xemxija, with an awesome contrast with the completely flat cultivated fields of Pwales Valley in the foreground. Now that the tenets of landscaping are well known to our architects, unlike at the time the Golden Sands Hotel was built, we only wish for a less conspicuous building to be developed. I refer here, for the umpteenth time, to the disparity between the Mistra Village Holiday Complex building (exquisitely landscaped) and the eyesore towering block of apartments literally abutting on it. I think I would be forcing my luck if I had to suggest that the land be left vacant after the demolition. On second thoughts, however, is the building of such a hotel so crucial to our economy, especially with over 40 applications for new hotels in the pipeline and with the recent opening of the InterContinental Hotel?