A controversial application for a beach concession at Għadira Bay was withdrawn at the eleventh hour, on the same day it was due to be decided by the Planning Authority board.
The move, which should come as a relief to beachgoers who enjoy organising barbecues at the spot, followed late objections filed by the Lands Authority and the Malta Tourism Authority.
The former complained it had not been consulted and the latter made a U-turn on its original ‘no-objection’ amid a public outcry against the proposal.
Submitted by the Mellieħa Holiday Complex, otherwise known as the Danish Village, the application covered an area the size of half a football pitch in the only part of the bay which was designated for barbecues.
The developer wanted to set up demountable platforms with sunbeds on a grassy area, set back from the rocky foreshore, between the two sandy beaches at Għadira. The application, submitted in 2006, remained under the radar for years, until it was flagged last July by Malta Today.
Application remained under the radar for years until last month
The proposal, which was recommended for approval by the PA’s case officer, would have banned free public access to part of what is arguably the country’s most popular beach.
However, when last Friday the PA board met to decide on the matter, the applicant announced that the application was being withdrawn.
The MTA switched its position “due to overriding circumstances” stemming from the fact that Għadira beach had shrunk considerably due to the inclement winter, thus reducing the available public open space. The MTA added that the Tourism Ministry had already intervened to discuss a reduction in other beach concessions within the same bay. However, it pointed out that it could revert to its original position should the beach show signs of recovery and increase in surface area.
The government is in the process of extending the beach while reversing the erosion of sand. An application for a sand nourishment project was submitted last year and is still pending.
‘Authorities only acted due to public outrage’
While welcoming the application’s withdrawal, former Mellieħa mayor and Opposition MP Robert Cutajar claimed that were it not for the public outrage against this proposal, neither the Lands Authority nor the Malta Tourism Authority would have objected.
Mr Cutajar, a vociferous objector to the proposal, was asked for his reaction by Times of Malta.
“A proposal of such importance was never brought before the Lands Authority board, and Opposition representative Ryan Callus can vouch for this,” he said.
Mr Cutajar also lashed out at Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, saying the recently announced crackdown on beach concession permit holders was just a media stunt following years of lax enforcement.
“Mr Mizzi wanted to give the impression that they were cracking down on abusive operators encroaching beyond their allocated area with sunbeds and umbrellas, whereas the truth is that they are trying to enforce an agreement which had been in place before Labour was elected to government in 2013,” he said.
The MP also questioned the justification cited by the MTA for coming out against the proposal on the grounds that the beach was shrinking, saying that sand erosion at Għadira Bay had been going on for years and not just in 2019.
Mr Cutajar also criticised the government’s handling of the sand nourishment project launched last year, which was meant to double the size of the existing beach.
While noting that Dr Mizzi had refused to publish the studies carried out so far despite seven parliamentary questions, he pointed out that increasing the beach capacity alone would spell trouble in terms of parking facilities and the bus service.
“The situation has already reached saturation point now. Increasing the size of the beach further will only serve to make the problem worse,” Mr Cutajar said.