The building is on the verge of collapse and had been declared by Mepa as a dangerous structure. The hotel was built right at the cliff’s edge and it seems that the clay upon which the foundations were laid gave way, creating serious cracks in the building that led to its evacuation.

Following a favourable recommendation by the planning directorate, the Mepa board approved the demolition of the hotel with the prospective development of a two-storey building that will include a restaurant and a multi-purpose hall.

The board’s go ahead on the development is pending a number of criteria that have to be met. The actual development has not been discussed in detail. Proposals for the design and external features will be presented in future board sessions.

Among the conditions annexed to the final approval of the project there is the presentation of a Construction Management Report and a geological report that will assess whether the building can actually be erected on the site. It is known that the building proposed will make use of a lightweight steel structure that can be assembled and then placed on the site, possibly reinforced by stilts inserted in the foundations.

The Mepa North West Local Plan – Public consultation Draft (June 2001) had stated that the hotel should be demolished as it was dangerous and that the land should be rehabilitated to its natural state.

However the Planning Directorate decided to recommend the development after considering the ‘positive’ factors of the application, such as the considerable reduction of the actual footprint from 948 square metres to 449 square metres. Other aspects highlighted were that the new premises will not have as intensive an activity as that of a hotel and that Mepa would have to compensate the landowner for the land if the site were to be rehabilitated.

The site is surrounded by a number of schedule two and three ecological sites as well as valuable agricultural areas. A number of bodies were consulted.

The Mgarr local council did not object provided that the building does not exceed the original footprint while Nature Trust objected saying that development should be avoided, given the particular natural landscape, saying however that it agreed with the demolition of the Hotel Martinique.

Gaia Foundation, responsible for the management of the area through an agreement with Mepa, did not object to the project provided that the development does not exceed two storeys and that it is not used as an intensive facility as was the case with the hotel.

Among the conditions annexed to the approval there is a Lm10,000 contribution by the developers towards the rehabilitation of the area. On behalf of the developers, Architect Alfred Grech asked the board to add a clause that would ensure the money be spent in the embellishment of the immediate surroundings. He said the contribution was a hefty sum, considering the scale of the project.

This is what was understood by the Planning Directorate, however they identified two sites that could benefit from the funds – the concrete stairs leading to the beach, in need of reconstruction or substitution and the nearby look-out tower, also due for restoration.