Manoel Island campaigners claim padel facility extension illegal

The Manoel Island: Post Għalina campaign has claimed that at least six new padel courts are being built on Manoel Island without a planning permit.

The campaign, which has been vocal in pushing for the site to be developed as a public national park, posted its concerns on Instagram, saying that the new courts appeared to be going up adjacent to existing facilities near the island's entrance.

"We are concerned that expanding private sporting infrastructure at this stage could increase the footprint of existing commercial activities, potentially making it more difficult for the Government to enforce or revise plans in line with the public interest once the consultation process concludes," the campaign said.

The campaign, led by activists from Moviment Graffitti and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, gathered more than 29,000 petition signatures last year calling for the island to be returned to the public as a national nature and heritage park.

The group noted that the only publicly available Planning Authority permit mentioning the construction of padel courts on Manoel Island was submitted by MIDI plc in 2023 and was not approved. No other permit appears to have been made public to account for the current works.

The campaign emphasised that the issue was more than just missing paperwork. Manoel Island is in public consultation for the future national park, where stakeholders can give their input. Post Għalina said building new facilities during this process 'undermines both the spirit and the integrity of that consultation.'

The group acknowledged community workshops valued sport, fitness, and recreation in the future park but stressed facilities must be part of a holistic masterplan, not piecemeal efforts that pre-empt public consultation.

Post Għalina urged authorities to investigate and stop unauthorized work, and suspend new planning applications until a masterplan, reflecting community values, is adopted.

"Manoel Island belongs to the public, and decisions about its future must respect both the law and the democratic process," the campaign said.