Beach development

Malta must be the only country in the world that can afford the luxury of losing a sand and pebble beach to sustain a decrepit public convenience and an adjacent watering hole.

Is it not amazing how such a situation escapes the attention of Mepa as well as that of tourism experts, officials and operators, at a time when beach development and reclamation is so sorely needed?

I am referring to the beach at Bahar ic-Caghaq of Palm Beach fame, if you have not figured it out yet. The area cries out for urgent rehabilitation.

This is a forgotten beach, part pebble, struggling to survive probably as a result of the intervention many years ago, a rocky foreshore and a sizeable patch of fine sand.

If the main road were to be pushed back some 50 metres, the beach could be extended, if necessary, by adding sand. The pebble beach area can be cleaned up and allowed to grow naturally or is extended in a similar way.

Across the road lies an abandoned zone left idle due to lack of ideas. This zone can be partly developed into a parking area similar to the one in Xlendi without any frills. This will eliminate the indiscriminate parking on the main road as happens on Sundays which creates traffic problems and is a potential accident spot. The area at the rear can be landscaped and a potential palm beach atmosphere created enhancing the village close by that is steadily growing in size and which will acquire a panoramic foreshore upgrading the whole zone in no small way.

As an immediate step, even the mere shifting of the structures would be a great leap forward and this could be encouraged by compensation or incorporation of existing tenure holders in the newly rehabilitated beach development.

Positive and speedy action is called for because things are already behind schedule. Please God save us from those who are always ready to shoot down any proposal and especially from those entrusted to improve this unpolished jewel in the Mediterranean and are either unable to do so with sufficient energy or are otherwise incapable of doing anything timely in this direction.

Everything takes ages in this country as a consequence and very often, we are too late.

Keep it simple and do it with gusto. There already is too much bad taste in public-funded projects!