Caravan site clearance starts

The Government Property Division yesterday followed up its written warning to Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq caravan owners as bulldozers and other heavy machinery were deployed to the site in an early-morning surprise clearance operation.

Caravans were lifted off their base by means of cranes and taken away on trailers while bulldozers demolished permanent structures such as brick rooms and many concrete platforms on which the caravans stood.

No incidents were reported during the operation which continued as a number of owners, probably alerted about what was taking place by fellow owners, arrived on site to empty their permanent structures or take the caravans away themselves.

The operation was a combined one by the police and the Public Works, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Land Department and Enemalta.

The owners of the structures were warned on Monday by means of a notice fixed on walls at the site to remove their caravans as they did not have title to the public land they were occupying.

In all, during the peak of summer there are as many as 300 caravans but only just over 100 notices were served with notices on Monday because many owners had already removed their caravan as schools reopened. Many had also removed their caravans since the warning was issued. The owners were given 48 hours to remove their caravans from the site.

The police took no chances, yesterday, probably learning from past experience, especially when they went to demolish illegal 'boathouses' at Armier together with the army and found strong opposition.

A strong police contingent was present at the entrance to the road leading to the site, members of the police Special Assignment Group were standing by closer to the caravan site and more policemen were stationed near the caravans as demolition works were in progress. Police Commissioner John Rizzo was also present.

But caravan owners went on with their work to take their belongings away although when approached by the media present, they took the chance to air their disgruntlement at the way they were treated and to protest at the short notice they were given to remove their caravans.

Tony Camilleri, former secretary of the Safari Camping Club, said the club used to file an application with the government every year to use the site and an acknowledgement used to be issued. This, he said, was interpreted as "green light" to use the site from May 15 to September 15.

"The order to remove our caravans came so suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue," he protested.

Mr Camilleri, who has spent the summer months in his caravan at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq over the past 15 years, said the government had planned to allocate the site for caravans. An electricity sub-station, an administration block, toilets and showers had been built by a former government and government employees also carried out maintenance works on the shower/toilet rooms.

However, the Government Property Division is insisting with the caravan owners they were not entitled to remain on site because it was not designated as a caravan site and they did not hold the necessary permits.

Mepa had also issued an enforcement order in May 2006.

The owners are signing a petition calling on the authorities to provide them with an alternative site.

Ruth Fucile of Siġġiewi said her family had been deprived of its only pastime during the summer holidays.

Ms Fucile, who has been caravanning for 20 years, said she was baffled at the way the government was insisting that the use of the land was illegal when it had built the infrastructure for a caravan site. At the time, government employees had also constructed a concrete platform to indicate the space that should be occupied by owners.

Brian Calleja, secretary of the Safari Club, added that drainage pipes were laid and a cesspit was constructed. Thousands of euros had been spent on other improvements to the site.

Mr Calleja said now he is faced with the problem of where to store his large caravan, which happened to be the same one used by actor/producer Mel Gibson when he was in Malta for filming several years ago. Mr Calleja said he spent about €69,800 on his caravan project.

Many caravan owners also have another regret, that they will not be able to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart as they usually do in July. This year they forked out over €2,300 to commission a new statue of the Madonna.

The atmosphere prevailing during yesterday's operation was in stark contrast to what happened in 1991 when Armier boathouse owners had strongly resisted police and army officers who arrived to demolish their rooms. On that occasion resistance forced the authorities to retreat after only succeeding in demolishing one boathouse.

Another confrontation between the Armier owners of the illegal structures and the police occurred the following year. The authorities had then disconnected the electricity supply to the boathouses but supply was restored after someone broke into two substations and illegally restored the electricity current.

A proposed government project some years later to demolish the boathouses at Armier and instead build beach rooms and offer them on lease (giving first preference to the present owners) never took off.