Developers in favour of public access to Manoel Island foreshore

The Malta Developers Association has called on the Manoel Island development consortium to grant permanent access to the foreshore, insisting that the public’s “right” should be put into practice andbe respected.

The MDA’s remarks come in the wake of another protest by environmental activists Kamp Emergenza Ambjent, who, on Saturday, once again cut through Midi’s gates to re-open public access to the Manoel Island,, having already done so two weeks ago.

“The MDA agrees that the foeshore is part of the public domain, and consequently, the public has a right to have permanent access to the foreshore,” it said.

The outline development permit the PA issued to MIDI in 1999 including a condition that the foreshore be made accessible “throughout the construction and operational phases” of the consortium’s plans. The foreshore is not included in Midi’s concession agreement, but the company is adamant that it has no obligation to provide access.

The Gzira local council – spearheaded by its mayor Conrad Borg Manche – has insisted that MIDI have an obligation to grant full access to the foreshore. The Planning Authority, meanwhile, has issued an enforcement order against the developers on Friday to remove the gates, while the government filed a judicial protest calling on the company to provide access.  

“The MDA calls on the Manoel Island and Tigne developers, MIDI, to reach an agreement with the government and the Gzira local council so the public’s right is respected and the foreshore can be accessed,” it said.

MIDI have a 99-year concession to develop the island, but the Tigné Point developers have already indicated they are looking for buyers to take over the concession.

On Saturday, some 300 activists, mostly Gzira residents and environmentalists, gathered at Manoel Island in an effort to persuade the MIDI consortium to stop blocking access to the island's foreshore. Welcoming the government's judicial protest against MIDI, Kamp Emergenza Ambjent spokesman Andre Callus called on protesters to keep up the pressure.

“Court cases can take long and the public cannot risk forgetting about the issue as has often happened in Malta,” Callus said.