Delimara beaches at mercy of ‘gatekeepers’

MaltaToday was recently alerted by a number of persons who had found access to the beaches blocked by a gate and who claimed were threatened by shotgun fire when trying to cross one of these gates.

During a visit to the area a few days ago, this MaltaToday journalist could walk undisturbed through the open gates through the paths leading to the two beaches. But persons who frequent the area confirmed that the gates are periodically closed.

The case was reported to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority but no reply has been forthcoming.

MEPA recently issued enforcement orders against illegal developments, in the area including the building of a terrace surrounded by a wall next to a pillbox at il-Ponta tal-Gidien.

Another enforcement notice was against illegal wall rooms and a terrace roofed by corrugated sheeting constructed illegally at il-Kalanka it-Tawwalija, a short distance from the abandoned ‘Delimara Hotel’ in the Kalanka area.

Another enforcement order in the same area refers to the illegal development of hunting hides and the planting of invasive acacia trees.

MEPA also issued an enforcement order against a terrace, parapett wall and small room built without a permit in the Ponta tal-Gidien area of Delimara and against the construction of a room and walls in the Taht il-Fanal area. All the illegalities are located in a scheduled Area of Ecological Importance and have yet not been removed by MEPA.

Recently MaltaToday revealed that an application had been presented to redevelop the old Kalanka hotel.

The Delimara area where these illegalities are located and where the hotel is now being proposed, was designated as a national park in the local plan approved in 2006. An application for the new park’s master plan, presented by the government, was approved in 2010 but later withdrawn.

The application foresaw the creation of walkways, timber railings, a car park, street furniture and gazebos.

Public access to beaches was protected by the Structure Plan, which calls on the state to secure public ownership of the coastline. The plan has now been replaced by the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development which only contains a vague reference to accessibility.