Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) draws attention to the MEPA hearings currently taking place to sanction boathouses built without permits at Dwejra Gozo.

This request for sanctioning means that the applicants constructed “boathouses” without permits and are now requesting that their abuse be legalised. Some of these so-called boathouses have two floors and a satellite dish on the roof.

According to the agreement reached in the Dwejra Heritage Action Plan, these boathouses will escape demolition as long as they remove any upper storeys, water tanks, satellite dishes and so on, replace iron and aluminium apertures with wood, paint the boathouses a uniform colour and return them to their original role as boathouses.

FAA recognises that the Action Plan is a package of measures that include the banning of all traffic down to the Inland Sea, the demolition of illegal jetties, the rehabilitation of quarries in the Dwejra area, clamping down on hunting in the area and the introduction of low-pollution engines for the tourist boats. FAA maintains that all this could have been done without rewarding the boathouse owners for their abuse.

FAA is in principle against all forms of sanctioning, especially Outside Development Zone. However, since the Management Plan was approved before FAA was in existence, it was only able to attend MEPA hearings and put forward objections that had been accepted by the MEPA Board. However, we maintain that had proper enforcement been in place these illegal boathouses would have been dismantled years ago, particularly as they are in the ODZ.

MEPA must give the strong message to the general public that abuse will not be tolerated and all lawbreakers, irrespective of political persuasion or district will be penalised. Building without going through the proper planning procedures renders our country a jungle. Many are finding the practice of sanctioning very convenient as the current situation actually encourages people to build as and where they please, then ask for sanctioning against the payment of a fine.

Since December, MEPA has been flooded with applications to sanction buildings, submitted by very prominent architects in both political camps, who do no credit to their parties by supporting and profiting from such abuse. No payment of fines, even if they run into thousands of euros can ever compensate for the loss in environmental space and the quality of life that the people of Malta and Gozo are suffering because of this abusive practice. Sanctioning gives a clear sign that MEPA is ready to not only tolerate, but also encourage abuse and corruption of the system.

FAA demands that politicians guarantee that this case will not be used as a precedent leading to the further sanctioning of boathouses in other areas, that the boathouses do not gradually return to residential use, and that the demolition of extra structures, restoration of the chapel and the dry stone walls are fully implemented.

Similarly, FAA strongly urges that the Park management be given adequate support and resources to expand the bird sanctuary and to stop bird hunting. The rehabilitation of quarries in the area must be enforced (only one of which operates within its legal limits) while traffic going down to the Inland Sea and off-roading activities in the area must be stopped.

FAA strongly insists that all the other positive objectives of the Management Plan must be adhered to so that this area, which aspires to be a World Heritage Site, is fully protected, now and in the future.