The unstable nature of the Fomm ir-Riħ area could see people getting injured due to frequent collapses, a leading architect has warned.

Prof. Alex Torpiano has warned that people who use the public path that leads to the beach, as well as swimmers who approach the shore by boat, could be at risk as the area has been prone to frequent collapses.

Torpiano was first engaged to inspect the area in 2020 after the landowner, developer Sandro Chetcuti, raised concerns about the stability of the area. Subsequently, he authored a report that found that the area faced “imminent danger” with serious risks identified in the state of the existing passageways and the risk of further rock collapse due to coastal erosion.

Two significant collapses were recorded in March and November of 2021 and in January 2022 a report was submitted to the police urging action and, at the very least, advise people making use of the public land of the potential danger. This year, further collapses were observed in February and June, however, action has yet to be taken on these reports, Torpiano said.

“The collapses occur because of the geotechnical characteristics of the escarpment; the clayey face of the escarpment is eroded by winter storms, undermining the same escarpment, whilst, in summer, the extreme heat renders the exposed clay friable and fractured,” he said.

“Unfortunately, it seems that, in Malta, it is necessary for accidents to happen, before everybody expresses surprise and recrimination. Since the report to the police did not lead to any preventive action, I am publicly advising of the dangerous situation arising, both at the top of the escarpment, as it continues to fall off, year after year, as well as at the bottom, where people can easily access, on foot or by boat, oblivious of the risks. The minimum expected is some warning signs for the public.”

Access to Fomm ir-Riħ has been a matter of contention for a number of years and sparked a public outcry when a gate was temporarily installed that blocked access to the public pathway that leads to the secluded bay. The owner said he had installed the gate because of the potential danger. 

Activists have also had run-ins with private security guards in the area, who advised them to continue heading to the bay and not linger on the path. Landowners denied that a security guard was hired to prevent people from accessing the bay.

Groups such as the Ramblers’ Association maintain that, while the land is privately owned, public access to the bay remains guaranteed through a 1983 deed signed by the previous landowners.

Note: A previous version of the story said the gate installed by the owner "was later found to have been installed illegally and was removed by the Planning Authority". This was not the case. The error is regretted.