Mepa will remove all illegalities at the picturesque San Blas Bay in Gozo in one fell swoop once all appeal have been heard.

Last year, The Malta Independent identified a number of illegal structures at the Bay, including a kiosk offering umbrella and deckchair rentals, as well as the odd burger and bottle of wine to tourists and locals.

The kiosk was hit with an enforcement notice in 2009 but no action has been taken to date.

An even more audacious illegality popped up last summer when an hotelier set up and outdoor camping area adjacent to the Bay, complete with artificial turf and an outdoor oven.

Speaking to The Malta Independent, Mepa CEO Johann Buttigieg pinpointed several difficulties in taking action at the Bay.

“A number of enforcement notices have been issued and there are some appeals taking place at Mepa level. Obviously once we will have everything cleared at appeals level, one must remember that San Blas is very difficult to access due to the topography of the area.

“If MEPA does go down, it will go down once to remove all the illegalities at one time. It doesn’t make sense to go down, leave three or four there, then go down once again.

“It costs a lot of money and if we want to work without any impact on the environment  we must work with caution.”

Asked why no action has been taken to remove the kiosk, which was slapped with an enforcement notice in 2009, Mr Buttigieg said Mepa has to give priority to infringement that are most harmful to the environment.

“It is not only the one kiosk, there are a number of kiosks which have to be prioritised. There are a number of other sites like Gnejna and  Wied ix-Xini. Normally what we do is prioritise the sites. Our first priorities are those that have a direct impact on the environment. That is why we are coming down hard on scarp yards where illegal dumping takes place, because that has a direct impact on the environment.”

“Then we are moving slowly, slowly to focus on other structures. There are situations where we can come to a compromise as we have with the owners of Munchies in Golden Bay, but there are other situations as obviously as we stated last week in a compromise, we said we are giving people time to abide, then if they fail to do so everybody has to bite the bullet,” he said.