The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has granted an environmental permit for the creation of safe public access and enclosed private property in Fomm ir-Riħ, over a year after environmentalists flagged challenges with access to the bay.
The plan will see works carried out on the existing paths which allow the public to go down to the idyllic but secluded bay in Mġarr.
In January last year, activists raised the alarm when an iron gate appeared, blocking the path down to the bay, although this was swiftly removed after a public outcry.
Works to reinstate, consolidate and better manage an already existing footpath- ERA spokesperson
According to a public deed signed in 1983, the government enjoys perpetual right and access to the foreshore and the sea at Fomm ir-Riħ as outlined in an agreement signed by landowners at the time.
However, landowners, which include former Malta Developer’s Association president Sandro Chetcuti, have justified trying to restrict the public from the area due to safety concerns.
In a report seen by Times of Malta, architect Alex Torpiano advised in January that the site posed an imminent risk due to the possibility of further rock collapse caused by coastal erosion.
Signs warn of danger
On Friday, the police confirmed reports about the potential danger at Fomm ir-Riħ due to the instability caused by coastal erosion and that these had been referred to the competent authorities.
As a result, signs had been affixed at the top of the ridge at the entry and exit point to the dangerous area.
Recently, the issue came to a head when Moviment Graffitti activists were confronted by a security guard stationed on the site who stopped them from lingering on the public path and advised them that the land is privately owned.
When the issue was first raised in 2021, the government said it was working with the owner “so that, eventually, the public will be given access to the foreshore while also respecting the rights of the private property”.
A better footpath
A spokesperson for ERA told Times of Malta that the regulator has approved the environmental permit as its “environmental impact was considered beneficial”.
“The approved proposal is for works to reinstate, consolidate and better manage an already existing footpath from the public car park area to the public foreshore at Fomm ir-Riħ bay,” ERA said.
The permit includes the reinstatement of rubble walls, temporary fencing to prevent unauthorised access to the private property, regeneration of the vegetated areas through the planting of indigenous plants, manual hoeing of the soil and planting of indigenous species to help the recolonisation of the areas.