Controversial works on a dust road leading to Comino’s Blue Lagoon have been greenlighted by the Environment Resources Authority (ERA) after they were halted on grounds of damage due to “extensive overspill” in the Natura 2000 site.

But the decision by the authority’s board on Friday has been deemed “scandalous” by Friends of the Earth Malta, which had reported the works to the authorities.

The ERA had issued a verbal Stop Order on March 13 on grounds that the works were “not satisfactorily contained within the indicated area and impacted on its surroundings”.

It has now approved the nature permit application, requesting that proper project management and the rehabilitation of impacted areas be ensured.

The permit approval has prompted FoE to accuse the authority – “the entity responsible for safeguarding nature” – of merely acting as a “rubber stamp to illegal works, by the Gozo Ministry in this case, and in so many other examples on an almost daily basis now”.

FoE director Martin Galea De Giovanni pointed out that the application to resurfacethe existing access road, PA/07028/18, had been suspended by the ministry itself once it realised a permit would not be issued.

“Now, the ERA board has been pushed to accept this fait-accompli, based on the fact that the damage has been done,” he said, describing the situation as “outrageous”.

“Allowing these environmental crimes to happen at one of the most iconic places in the Maltese islands is indicative of the onslaught on remaining open spaces, beyond the glossy images and fancy words we hear from politicians about functioning institutions,” Galea De Giovanni added.

The Gozo Ministry has insisted the “emergency” works, which started in February, would “eliminate an existing danger” of the road caving in.

But FoE had called it out for getting “caught in its web of lies” on the Comino path saga.

Fixing a hazardous path may constitute an “emergency” procedure, FoE said, but creating a service culvert with manholes to pass utility services, on a Natura 2000 island, did not.

The ministry has said the culvert would eliminate the use of electricity generators but denied fixed kiosks were being planned for Blue Lagoon.

However, in the admission that talks were underway with Enemalta about the project, FoE said this showed a “pre-meditated plan to please the mobile kiosks”.

Galea De Giovanni described it as an attempt to legitimise illegal commercial activity.

Turning its guns on Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia, FoE had said that, while it agreed specific cases should be dealt with via the regulator, as the entity responsible for policy, the Environment Ministry should ensure that “no gaping holes are allowed – in this case, the use of ‘emergency works’ when a PA permit is going to be refused”.

The Gozo Ministry had said no tarmac and cement would be used in the intervention on part of a “pre-established network for vehicular transit” essential for access to the Blue Lagoon.

But marine biologist and environmentalist Alan Deidun noted that the existing track has already been widened, trenches have been excavated and most of the heavy-handed interventions executed.

“It is virtually impossible to ecologically restore the scarred areas in the short term,” he said.