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local
news
Boathouse
owners determined to stand firm
No
open doors:
the boathouse owners were more than willing to discuss the situation
with the authorities, with a view to paying rent.
By
Miriam Dunn
"We have no intention of leaving. We have been here for 13
years and we will fight to the bitter end."
These were the words of two determined families, who have spent
every summer for almost two decades, at their boathouses in Little
Armier.
Just this week, the Lands Department issued a number of the owners
of these illegal structures with an ultimatum – either dismantle
your boathouse, or it will be done for you.
The families are now waiting with apprehension to see what happens
next. But they are standing firm and are prepared to take on the
authorities, as one boathouse owner, Amabile Borg, explained.
"We have seen the police and army vehicles keeping watch around
here, and even helicopters," he said. "Every time they
come near, my wife's heart misses a beat. But we are still determined
to stand our ground."
Mr Borg, who lives in Birkirkara, describes how the 90 or so families
with boathouses have set up their own summer community.
"We all know each other, our children have grown up together,"
he says. "They have good, harmless fun, including swimming
and barbecues. Why are the authorities now suddenly picking on us
and destroying the life we have made for ourselves? Why pick on
the small fry while the big fish remain free?"
His wife also stresses that an unjust image is relayed of the families,
depicting them as making a mess or dumping rubbish in the sea.
"This is very unfair," she says. "In fact, we are
very aware of keeping the area clean."
Mr Borg also points out that the authorities have announced they
will be taking action, while another ongoing issue – the lack
of camping facilities in Malta – remains unsolved.
"Surely it would have made more sense to address this problem
before simply ordering us all away," he says. "Many of
these boathouses and trailers have nowhere to go in summer and have
been asking for a site for years now. We keep hearing about possible
locations, but nothing ever materialises."
Another boathouse owner, Joseph Galea, from Marsa, says he loves
his boathouse, which allows him and his family to relax away from
town life.
"This is what I invested my money in, after all, I certainly
couldn't afford a penthouse," he says.
But Mr Galea stresses that the boathouse owners were more than willing
to discuss the situation with the authorities, with a view to paying
rent.
"But we simply haven't even been given the chance to discuss
these options," he says. "These notices have simply been
served. You cannot help asking why us, rather than others?"
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