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local
news
War
looms at Armier
The
boathouse owners at Armier are getting mixed messages from the politicians
and the authorities. Now it’s either a time for reassurance
or a time for war, they tell
MIRIAM DUNN
The Committee members from the Armier lobby
L to R, Joe Mifsud, Tarcisio Barbara and Reno Abela
Photos by P Blandford
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It has been
a month of uncertainty and difficulty for the boathouse owners at
Armier.
A notice issued by the Lands Department announcing that it would
demolish all the buildings in the area threw the boathouses back
into the spotlight.
But the issue is far more complicated than that. As evidenced by
the 700-strong crowd which attended a meeting held on Monday to
discuss the problem, led by Tarcisio Barbara, the Chairman of the
Central Committee of the Boathouses and Caravans of the Northwest
of Malta.
As Mr Barbara explains, the committee’s main concern is that
the boathouse owners have got caught up in a game of pingpong between
the government and the lands department.
"Prior to the 1996 election, the government and the opposition
both agreed that they would leave the boathouses constructed before
1992, when the Planning Authority was set up," he says. "And
while we sympathise with people who built their boathouses after
this date, we are prepared to recognise this cut-off point. Our
concern is that we have had no commitment from the Lands Department
that this agreement will be honoured."
Mr Barbara explains that he and his colleagues had hoped to challenge
Parliamentary Secretary George Pullicino on the issue during a television
programme yesterday (Saturday) morning, but unfortunately he didn’t
turn up for the show.
"Granted, there are a few other problems, like some discrepancies
with some caravans which are not featured in the photographs which
the government has said it will use as evidence of existence prior
to 1992, but which were there before this time and simply left temporarily.
This, however, is only a small part of the issue," he says.
"The big question mark is the boathouses built before 1992
– whether we will be given a clear reassurance that they will
not be destroyed by the authorities."
The boathouse owners’ concern has grown over the past weeks,
as they witnessed the beginning of the demolition process, which
kicked off in Little Armier.
Mr Barbara and his members, who have had their boathouses for anything
up to 40 years, are now watching anxiously to see where the authorities
make their next move.
He explains that he and his colleagues have already experienced
some problems with the police, who are stopping them from taking
any building materials or other supplies inside the area.
"We are made to leave the tools or other goods with them or
take them home again," he says. "This is very frustrating,
since this is the time of year when we would normally be doing maintenance
and preparing for summer."
Mr Barbara stresses that they support the government and many people’s
view that camping facilities are needed on the island, but adds
that the provision of land for boathouses is also a necessity.
"Yes, a caravan site is needed and a place should be earmarked,
but we also need boathouses," he says. "Many boathouse
owners come from the centre of Malta, from towns such as Siggiewi,
Qormi, Rabat and Zebbug, and they need somewhere to keep their boats
through the summer. And the MPs that represent these districts from
both political parties have recognised this. They even stated it
in their leaflets before the election."
The committee is looking for reassurance, but also emphasises that
the boathouse owners will not give up without a fight.
In the words of committee secretary, Joe Mifsud: "If the authorities
take the decision to demolish all the boathouses in Armier, irrespective
of whether they were built before or after 1992, the government
will have something similar to a war on its hands."
Mr Mifsud also raises another question, which was a popular topic
of debate at last Monday’s meeting.
"This issue needs sorting out over the whole island, Gnejna,
San Tumas, for example," he says. "It just seems that
they always start with Armier. Why?"
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