Young Sailors ordered to suspend club extension works

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority yesterday ordered that no more work be carried out on the extension to the clubhouse of the Malta Young Sailors Club at Tax-Xama' in St Paul's Bay until developers obtained clearance from the drainage department.

A MEPA spokesman said works were being carried out yesterday even though MEPA had told the developers in writing on September 2 not to continue the works until they received clearance.

The spokesman explained that the MEPA letter was not a stop and enforcement notice but a notification reminding the developers that they still needed the go-ahead from various government departments even though they had got the green light for the development from the MEPA.

On August 26, St Paul's Bay council informed MEPA in writing that the development permit issued to the Malta Young Sailors Club to build an extension to their club house would be directly in line with a sewage rising main.

The current club is housed in a stone Nissen Hut. Workers were on site on August 25 and started with the excavation works for the extension.

"It would be extremely dangerous to excavate close to this rising main because of the extreme pressure that the main carries.

"The application by the club is to construct a clubroom and create storage for sailing dinghies under a paved belvedere for the young sailors club," mayor Paul Bugeja had written.

Until yesterday, the developers had still not got clearance from the drainage department.

In his letter to the MEPA, Mr Bugeja wrote that the belvedere referred to in the proposed development was situated on the north side of the existing clubhouse, whereas all works being carried out were on the south side.

On the southern area, there is a sewage rising main and any disturbance caused to it, or its operation, would be catastrophic to the entire locality of St Paul's Bay. All the drainage is pumped through this system to Pwales, the mayor had written.

As soon as Mr Bugeja was informed that works were going on yesterday, he went on site saying: "If I were a swimmer I would avoid tax-Xama' at the moment because boulders are being removed too close to the sandy beach."

Mr Bugeja said he could not understand how the work was allowed to continue when MEPA had been informed of the risk of damage to the rising main.

The mayor explained that local councils had no jurisdiction over such eventualities and only MEPA could put a stop to such infringements.

Swimmers who frequent the tiny beach have been complaining their daily swim has been disrupted due to the encroachment of the beach by the members of the Malta Young Sailors Club.

Residents have complained that the club allows its members to take the boats out on the slipway, barring access to the beach, and leaving boat trolleys on the sand.