'After devouring land, they're going for the sea': activists urge lido objection

Moviment Graffitti on Thursday urged the public to submit objections to a proposal to reclaim part of the sea along the Sliema-Gżira coastline for a new lido.

The activist group said in a statement that PA/03174/26 represented yet another attempt to sacrifice the common good to the insatiable greed of a small number of powerful private interests.

Objections can be submitted to the Planning Authority until June 19 by sending an email to representations@pa.org.mt and citing application number PA/03174/26. An objection template can be found on Moviment Graffitti’s social media pages.

Three companies have applied to reclaim land along the seafront to build a large lido facing Manoel Island.

The development application, filed on April 7, includes land reclamation to make way for a lido with an outdoor swimming pool, sun deck, two buildings to accommodate ancillary facilities to a pool, Class 4D restaurants and a play area.

The area is adjacent to one of the most popular walking spots, leading from Sliema to Gżira. Should the permit be given the green light, it will partially conceal the views of Manoel Island, which has been earmarked as a public park. 

The application was filed by Strand Lido Ltd, LAMHCO and Sea Pebbles Ltd. According to the business registry, The Strand Lido is owned by Carmel Farrugia, Daniel Farrugia and Joseph Casha. Sea Pebbles is owned by Joseph and Josephine Casha.

Daniel Farrugia is the partner of Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar. He also owns the Londoners Pubs franchise. Joseph Casha also owns Medasia.

Meanwhile, LAMHCO is a Malta-Libya government investment firm. The Libyan Arab Maltese Holdings Company Limited was set up in 1975 for major investments in manufacturing and hospitality, and has a portfolio of companies worth in excess of €40 million. 

Graffitti is insisting the development would permanently alter the shoreline and further privatise public coastal space on an ODZ site designated as public open space under the North Harbour Local Plan.

"After years of overdevelopment, Sliema and Gżira are being suffocated by commercialisation. Pavements have been consumed by tables and chairs, skylines obstructed by speculative construction, and public land relentlessly surrendered to private interests through planning decisions that erode the public’s right to its own coast.

"Now, after devouring so much land, developers are coming for the sea."

The proposal also threatens protected marine habitats and would destroy the seabed through land reclamation, the group added.

"The PA cannot ignore its obligations under the North Harbour Local Plan, Maltese law, EU environmental law, the Public Domain Act, SPED, and international conventions protecting the coast and marine environment," the activists said, adding that approving the development would again send the message that planning rules can be swept aside when enough money and influence are involved.

"The public is entitled to ask why wealthy developers and politically connected interests continue to be prioritised over residents, swimmers, walkers, families, and the wider community who rely on this coastline as one of the few remaining open public spaces in the area."

Moviment Graffitti is demanding a full refusal of PA/03174/26 and a serious, genuine, and holistic assessment of environmental and social impacts across planning decisions to prevent the continued normalisation of destructive and predatory development.