Graffitti urges public to object to proposed Gzira Lido: 'Developers are coming for the sea'

Moviment Graffitti has urged the public to submit objections to a proposed lido development on the Gżira and Sliema coastline, which would see land reclaimed from the sea for a private lido.

The proposal, PA/03174/26, put forward by prominent businessmen, involves an outdoor swimming pool, a sun deck, and two buildings to accommodate pool facilities, restaurants, and a play area.

So far, the proposal has around 200 objections.

"After devouring so much land, developers are coming for the sea," the NGO said, insisting the project would permanently alter the shoreline and further privatise public coastal space on an ODZ site designated as public open space under the North Harbour Local Plan.

The group said years of overdevelopment have left Sliema and Gżira suffocated by commercialisation, with pavements consumed by tables and chairs, skylines obstructed by speculative construction, and public land surrendered to private interests through planning decisions that erode public access to the coast.

It warned the lido would obstruct views and worsen congestion along one of Malta's most heavily frequented promenades.

"The proposal also threatens protected marine habitats and would destroy the seabed through land reclamation," the NGO said, calling on the Planning Authority not to ignore its obligations under the North Harbour Local Plan, Maltese law, EU environmental law, the Public Domain Act, SPED, and international conventions protecting the coast and marine environment.

It said approving the development would once again send the message that planning rules can be swept aside when enough money and influence are involved.

"The public is entitled to ask why wealthy developers and politically connected interests continue to be prioritised over residents, swimmers, walkers, families, and the wider community who rely on this coastline as one of the few remaining open public spaces in the area," the group said.

Moviment Graffitti is demanding the full refusal of PA/03174/26, together with a serious, genuine, and holistic assessment of environmental and social impacts across planning decisions, to prevent what it described as the continued normalisation of destructive and predatory development.

Objections can be submitted to the Planning Authority until 19 June by emailing [email protected] and citing application number PA/03174/26.