A security guard stationed on the path to Fomm ir-Riħ is not there to block public access to the bay but to prevent people from straying onto private land and residences, according to one of the landowners.
Last month, Moviment Graffitti activists went on site and filmed an altercation with a private security guard, after having received complaints that people had been intimidated from using the path and were threatened with the police.
The installation of various signs, observation posts and barbed wire had turned the picturesque landscape into something akin to a “militarised zone”, Graffitti said.
In the video, a man wearing a security guard’s uniform approaches the group and informs them that the land is private and that they can proceed to the bay but not linger on the path.
Later, a second man, who identifies himself as a landowner, tells the group that they are not permitted to stay on the land and would also be fined if caught littering.
Defending the presence of the guard, developer Sandro Chetcuti said a group of landowners had collectively hired a security firm to watch the area and make sure people stayed on the path.
Chetcuti, one of the landowners, said: “In no way is the guard there to prevent people from accessing the bay, but the surrounding land is private.
“I cannot come to your front garden and have a picnic.
“Google maps is part of the problem.
“It directs people down a private road to the bay and people who are not aware tend to veer into private property.”
The guard, Chetcuti added, was in place to “politely” direct people down the safe route to the bay.
“As far as I know, all his interactions with people have been firm but polite. On the other hand, he has experienced tough guys who try to argue with him unnecessarily or who use foul language to speak to him,” Chetcuti said.
Asked about the filmed incident, Chetcuti said the hikers were not on the foreshore but lingering on land that was privately owned.
“The road that provides access to the bay is private property and we’ve left it open for people to be able to get there safely, but people have walked all the way up to the private residences,” Chetcuti said.
The Environment Resources Authority (ERA) had just approved a management plan for access to the bay, he said, adding he hoped the authorities would keep the passage accessible.
“What we hope is for the government to keep the passage up to adequate standards because it can be quite dangerous. Rocks have been known to fall,” he said.
“We have no problem with people coming to walk around but when you disturb the privacy of the land that’s another thing entirely.”
Last year, the erection of a gate on one of the paths leading to Fomm ir-Riħ caused a public outcry, although access was later restored.
The government enjoys perpetual right and access to the foreshore and sea at Fomm ir-Riħ, as outlined in a 1983 public deed signed with landowners.