Mepa has demolished a large, illegally-built extension to a historic windmill in Triq il-Mithna in Zurrieq.

The extension was built some years ago to increase the floorspace for the residents of the protected windmill. Although works had stopped when the Authority had issued an Enforcement Notice, leaving the extension without a roof, the occupants never demolished the structure.

Due to the sensitivity of the site, all the demolition works were carried out manually.

TWO DWEJRA BOATHOUSES DEMOLISHED

Mepa said its officials had also overseen the demolition of two illegal boathouses in Dwejra Gozo. The structures were built in 2000 and 2011. The owners opted to remove the illegality themselves after the Authority warned them that direct action was at hand and they would foot the bill.

One of the buildings was a completed two storey boathouse while the other was a single storey boathouse that was left unroofed after the owner was served with an Enforcement Notice.

The debris will be removed once the terrain becomes drier since driving to this particular site with a mechanical vehicle will negatively affect the adjacent watercourse, Mepa said.

In Ghajnsielem, enforcement officers caught red-handed, a contractor who was dumping building material on a site known as ic-Cens Ta' Katkut.  They gave the contractor two days to return the site to its original state of face the consequences. The contravenor followed instructions and complied by removing all the dumped material from the site.

The Dwejra boathouses and their demolition (right)

SCRAPYARDS BEING CLEARED

Large quantities of material have also started being removed from two very large illegal scrapyards in Wardija and Mgarr. In Wardija, in the area of Ras il-Wied, the owner is removing tons of scrap vehicles and other material from fields. Once this operation is concluded, he will also have to restore and rebuild a number of rubble walls which he had removed, Mepa said.