The Ramblers Association has made a series of proposals to the government as part of ongoing talks to ensure the public can access the picturesque bay at Fomm ir-Riħ.

The matter had made headlines in February after a gate was temporarily put up by the owner, development lobby chief Sandro Chetcuti in a move he said was aimed at protecting the public from accessing a dangerous spot.

Environmentalists and hikers fumed over this sudden closure and the gate was later removed.

It later emerged that the government enjoys perpetual right for access to the foreshore and the sea at Fomm ir-Riħ, as outlined in a 1983 public deed it had signed with the landowners.

Chetcuti has said he is willing to allow access to the public and talks with the government on how this could be achieved are under way.

The Ramblers Association, an environment NGO that focuses on the protection of the island’s countryside, told Times of Malta that, after visiting the site, it confirmed the passage over the clay slopes was damaged by a collapse.

It also agreed this can no longer be used to reach Fomm ir-Riħ Bay.

Rock cut steps need to be 'sensitively improved'

“The present proposal of how this can be achieved is to allow access through the present cliffside passage and then through a descent into a secondary pebble beach. In this way, people would be able to access the rocky foreshore and, from there, Fomm ir-Riħ bay.

“Since the descent towards the pebble beach is steep and uses a set of worn out steps, this rock cut staircase would have to be sensitively improved, factoring in the status of the site as a special area of conservation,” a Ramblers spokesperson said.

The association is also recommending a “retaining mesh” to prevent further collapse of the clay slope “or, at least, an unintrusive safety cordon” to guarantee safe access to Fomm ir-Rih Bay for visitors.

“The onus is now on the government to assess the merits of this proposal and to decide how best to perform its duty of guaranteeing access to the foreshore, in light of the fact that the site is privately owned,” the spokesperson said.

Repeated requests for an update on the situation have been ignored by the Environment Ministry despite reminders. Questions sent in February remain unanswered and no acknowledgement was received.