Marsalforn Bay, Winter Time Before The Masterplan

This is Marsalforn bay on the island of Gozo. This is taken in the winter so the whole of the bay can be seen.
To those used to countries such as Spain, Portugal and the like it might seem quite small. The bay is our largest seaside town.
In summer, the bay is full of moored boats and areas roped off, for swimmers to enjoy the warm water in safety. On the far side of the bay can be seen a small beach area again not very large but this is a very small island. Most swimming is done on the left side of the bay by utilising several sets of steps that allow access over the rock edges and descend into the sea.

Most of the buildings that can be seen across the bottom of the bay, consist of Restaurants on the lower floor and apartments above. Some of the apartments are occupied by permanent residents but the majority are holiday lets.
On the far side of the bay is the small harbour with hotels behind.

This will be one of the last views with the bay looking like this. A masterplan has been drawn up to re-develop the bay. Will it be better or worse than now? Who knows, often the masterplans of the island are changed dramatically before they are started, or just abandoned so time will tell. I don't think it can be changed a great deal as the buildings won't be knocked down, many of them have recently had extra floors added to them.

One thing that is planned is some sort of barrier at the entrance to the bay. At present, the bay waves become violent in the autumn and winter months resulting in dangerous conditions for boats to enter the harbour. Restaurants at the end of the bay have large quantities of seawater sprayed over them making operation difficult. I suspect the barrier will become a reality.