Fomm ir-Riħ is being turned into an “extensive construction site” according to NGOs – but the alerted authorities claim nothing is out of line in the Natura 2000 site and the landowner insists works are temporary and his intention  is to embellish the area.

Reports have been lodged with the enforcement arm of the Planning Authority (PA), pressing for urgent investigations into works across sites in the Ras ir-Raħeb area “before it is too late” and “irreversible environmental damage” is done, as images of piles of stone, heavy machinery and dust roads do the rounds.

Ramblers’ Association and Friends of the Earth Malta (FoEM) have maintained infringement of permit conditions was blatant and the natural landscape has been mistreated and disrupted.

The result was akin to an “environmental disaster”, according to the Ramblers’ Association which aims to protect the countryside and the public’s right to enjoy it.

Walls partition Fomm ir-Riħ

Reporting on adjacent sites, it described the situation as “a free-for-all”, with works picking up the pace recently. 

But the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has confirmed, following investigations specifically into PA546/20 for the reinstatement of rubble walls and the formation of a gate, that “all works are being carried out within the confines of development permits and no damage to the natural environments has been recorded beyond said areas”. 

The PA, which is monitoring ongoing works, also said no breaches of planning permission had been identified.

The authority said that rubble walls were being constructed in random sizes, with irregularly shaped, recycled stones, parts of which are serving as retaining walls now covered by soil, whereas the exposed parts are in traditional construction methodology. 

Machinery and accesses were required for the duration of the approved works, the PA said, in reaction to concerns about widening of paths and the creation of roads for tractors and trucks in the previously unspoilt area.

The traditional manner of construction of rubble walls and their height were also “specifically according to permit conditions”, the authority said, adding that the soil levels would be reinstated when the work was completed.

Construction debris at the site.

How to build a rubble wall

Both Ramblers’ Association and FoEM have expressed concern about the way the rubble walls were being built, citing permit conditions that require loose and unhewn stones, which stand by gravity and friction without the use of mortar and extraneous material, even if clad with random stones.

FoEM explained that these walls acted as important habitats for various species and regulated the drainage of rainwater from surrounding fields, with national legislation stipulating how they should be rebuilt.

Concerns that the new walls would result in fragmentation of the open land into multiple smaller parcels

The NGOs echoed the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage’s comments to the proposed application on “formalising” the site, lying within the Coastal/Cliffs Area of High Landscape Value, by constructing rubble walls where they were not a significant feature.

They have also questioned whether the method used goes not only against the permit conditions but also against a grant to build the walls.

Concerns that the new walls would result in fragmentation of the open land into multiple smaller parcels that could change the topography and have adverse impacts on the sensitive environment were also aired.

Acknowledging “some inevitable but temporary chaos” in the area, which was required to undertake the works, co-owner Steve Abela explained this was inevitable to re-instate the rubble walls, which required dismantling, excavation and bringing the specific stone on site.

The works also had to be speeded up to meet a deadline for European Union funding for the rubble walls, which were all being rebuilt at the same time, he said, assuring that everything, including any displaced soil, would be back in place by mid-June, ready to be ploughed for tree planting.

Abela, who shares the 22,000 square metres of land with his brother, plans to “enhance” the area, aiming to have 500 indigenous trees by the end of 2022.

He has already planted 80 on the adjacent site and the aim is afforestation and year-round greenery on the otherwise dust-like ‘white’ soil “to give something back to the environment”.

The other side: Steve Abela says he plans to plant 500 indigenous trees by the end of 2022.

Explaining that unless the rubble walls along the terraced fields were re-instated, the soil would be lost in the rain, Abela said, adding that “we are working hard to finish fast and do not drag this on”.

The method employed, using a stone that could withstand salt and wind, meant they would not have to be rebuilt after a short while.

Everything was being done under the supervision of the PA and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, Abela confirmed, insisting that he was breaking no laws.

For love of the land

Observers have decried the situation as a “natural massacre with the authorities’ complicity”, noting that trucks were tipping and piling up stones as the pristine terrain is transformed from a natural habitat to another “monster”.

In flagging the reports, the NGOs noted that permit conditions stipulated no overspills, no vehicular trampling, manoeuvring and parking, as well as no storage of material and machinery beyond the area.

But the landowner has denied creating new irreversible pathways, saying the compressed soil would be ploughed back to its original state in six weeks.

Ramblers Association also pointed out that it was “bad enough permits are issued in these places. It should not be up to private citizens to try to ensure that, at least, their conditions are met.

“Most of the area is wild and not agricultural at all,” the association insisted.

“Still, a permit for an agricultural store is handed out,” it complained, referring to the relocation of an approved room to the middle of the adjacent site and proposing that these should be granted against actual produce per year.

FoEM had even proposed that the area be designated “public domain” since it was frequently in the news for “some new shady plan”.

Expressing his “sensitivity” to the area, Abela said: “I bought this land because I love it, not because I want to spoil it!

“This is my baby and more important to me than any of my work. It is a dream.”