Db seeks to sanction extended lido at St George’s Bay

The db Group wants to sanction unauthorised excavation works at St George’s Bay and extend the footprint of its Bagatelle Lido in a new application.

The application (PA/05423/26) was presented to the Planning Authority in April by db San Gorg Property Limited and was only published now by the authority.

MaltaToday first reported the existence of the application back in April. It is still in the initial vetting stage and is expected to be issued for public consultation in the coming days.

The application describes the additional 421sq.m site at Ix-Xatt ta’ San Ġorġ as undeveloped land. The proposal involves the excavation of existing rock, the sanctioning of excavation of a concrete platform in front of the boathouses and the extension of an already approved lido and pool deck.

The application refers to two previous permits, PA/03807/17 (the permit for the wider high-rise project which included a beach bar and storage facilities adjacent to the lido) and PA/07224/25.

The latter permit, approved by the Planning Authority in April, authorised the lido project involving the demolition of the existing 19th-century boathouses and their replacement with a pool and deck.

The new application follows concerns raised during the Planning Authority’s consideration of the lido project in March this year. NGO representative Romano Cassar had warned the board that works at the site appeared to have gone beyond the boundaries of the application before the permit had even been approved.

Cassar said he had visited the site and found the area around the boathouses fenced off and excavated, with concrete pillars and a platform apparently extending beyond the permitted footprint. He was the only board member to vote against the lido application.

The Planning Authority subsequently confirmed that the concerns raised by Cassar were justified, with its Enforcement Directorate establishing that excavation and clearance works had taken place on parts of the site not covered by a permit. A stoppage of works order was issued.

The original lido permit covered just 292sq.m with the latest application seeking to expand this by an additional 421sq.m. The application also seeks to regularise the excavation that was carried out.

The application states that part of the site is government-owned, while the applicant claims to have authorisation to carry out the proposed development through an agreement with the owner.