Storm-battered Għar Lapsi stays closed for the summer

Storm-battered Għar Lapsi will not reopen to swimmers this summer, leaving tourists and locals disappointed.

Five months after Storm Harry lashed Malta, the ramp providing access to the beach is still being rebuilt as part of works estimated to cost €2 million.

When Times of Malta visited the area on Tuesday, a trickle of would-be beachgoers had arrived, only to find the Public Works Department had gated off the access road.

Gavin Gapp, who was travelling with his wife and baby, was among the tourists. As he walked back to his rental car, the French man said he relied on artificial intelligence to plan his visit to Malta.

“AI suggested this is a nice beach, but it’s closed,” he said.

Pedro Montero, a consultant from Portugal, had caught a cab from St Julian’s with five friends after seeing online recommendations.

“As soon as we arrived here, the beach was closed, and the people that are there are taking dangerous roads,” the 23-year-old said.

The group was left “stranded” as options to return to St Julian’s ran out.

“We have been trying to find a cab for 30 minutes,” Montero said. 

“I wish they advertised the fact it was closed but when we checked on Google Maps and online, we didn’t find any information that it is closed.” 

With him was Marta Ramos, 23: “It’s really stressful. We wanted to come here because it’s such a beautiful space and it’s closed.”

The sea looks inviting but Għar Lapsi will not open this year as infrastructure is being rebuilt.

Works to restore the area began in March

Several beachgoers ignored warning signs and jumped over the fence erected to stop people accessing the site.

Hervé Marceau, 72, who was also visiting from France, said he and his companions planned to head to Pretty Bay in Birżebbuġa instead.

Works began in March to restore the area after the storm destroyed the slipway, washed away a seaside restaurant and wrecked boats inside boathouses.

Long-time Malta resident Inigo Taylor, 38, a photographer who has documented the western coastline, said bus services still bring visitors to the area. When they find it closed, they scatter along unstable neighbouring shores in large numbers, he said.

“Because this area, Għar Lapsi is closed, the pressure on the environment on either side is growing”, he said. “More litter, erosion, it worries me.”

Because this area, Għar Lapsi is closed, the pressure on the environment on either side is growing. More litter, erosion, it worries me- Photographer Inigo Taylor

He said he was under no impression that the beloved site would re-open any time this year, having visited Għar Lapsi immediately after January’s storm.

“I saw the real power of the storm coming from that direction, which was incredible,” Taylor said.

“The concrete was completely gone, and looking at it realistically, the architecture, the groundwork that needed to be done is immense.”

His young daughter Rosie, who joined him on the visit, said she missed the spot dearly.

Times of Malta is informed that works are set to continue on Għar Lapsi throughout the summer but will not be complete for bathers to enjoy this season.

“Our tentative timeframe is late this year or even the beginning of next year,” one source said.