WATCH | Naxxar’s caravan coastal takeover is a haven of illegalities

Two weeks after I obtained a caravan parking permit for Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq without owning one, I went back to the site to see what else the system is letting through.

Accompanying me was Naxxar Mayor Christopher Deguara, who first flagged the coastal takeover by caravans and complained of a lack of enforcement.

My stunt exposed a farce at the centre of how these caravan permits work. The Naxxar council’s name and logo appear on every permit issued despite it having no say in the process.

“The system just uses our rubber stamp because the area is under the jurisdiction of Naxxar but the council cannot do anything to these people,” Deguara told me.

Responsibility, he explained, sits with the central government, which issues the permits through the same online system used for cranes or skips elsewhere in Malta. It’s a different setup to road closures, where the council can refuse a permit outright if it clashes with another. “In this case, we do not have that access,” he said.

Walking the site with him makes it clear that the permit loophole is only one part of the problem. “The whole coast has been taken up, starting from Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq going all the way down to Salina,” Deguara said.

He described a pattern that repeats itself every weekend: Caravan owners arriving with friends who hold multiple spaces between them, and others leaving cars parked in advance to reserve a spot for the following weekend. “This is where the process is not fair on the general population... who are unable to enjoy this area,” he said.

I asked whether someone with no caravan, just wanting to reach the sea, would find it difficult. “I think if you manage to find a spot, you would be allowed but if you come at the weekend, it’s a different story down there,” he said.

The illegalities extend beyond the caravans, which are only considered legitimate if attached to a towing vehicle under permit rules. Many have been stationary for months.

Deguara noted others with foreign plates, boats, and trailers left unattached, some without their own plates.

“All these are illegalities and these are obviously taking up space for anyone who wants to visit our beaches,” he said.

Profiting from public land

Then there’s the money. A parking permit costs between €1 and €5 a day. Online, some of the same spots are advertised for rent at up to €60 a night. “When you look at that, you’re renting it for €5 but earning €60, and making a €55 profit for a prime site,” Deguara said. He said the council has passed this information to the Malta Police Force, adding that what happens next is not up to the council.

There is no sewage system along this coast, despite council estimates of several hundred caravans stationed there. “I wouldn’t like to generalise, because I believe many caravan owners are responsible but we’ve heard rumours that some throw waste in the sea, harming local flora, fauna, residents, and visitors,” Deguara said.

Safari Jungle

Further in, you will find the Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq Safari Jungle, a site formally leased to the Safari Camping Club under an agreement with the Lands Department dating back to 2009.

On paper, according to the mayor, the concession only covers the summer months, from May to September. In practice, what I found when I visited told a different story: Letterboxes fixed outside what looked like permanent cabins, and a restaurant at the far end of the road, none of it consistent with a seasonal camping arrangement that’s supposed to sit empty for the remaining months of the year.

The Safari Jungle isn’t the only exception built into the system. The caravan permit only runs until October; after that, no permit is needed, and anyone can pull up to any spot they find.

Even within the permitted months, the system has no way of actually reserving a spot; applicants simply drop a pin on a map.

That means it’s entirely possible to arrive and find someone else already parked in the spot you paid to hold, with no option but to look for another spot.

None of this is new. Naxxar council first raised the issue in 2023, submitting a by-law to designate proper parking areas for caravans. It was rejected without explanation, despite similar regulations being approved elsewhere. Deguara said the response to the council’s video statement two weeks ago, much of it from outside Naxxar, reflected how widespread the frustration has become.

“This is not about politics, this is not about votes,” he said. “This is about organising a system which would benefit the general population and caravan owners.”