Caravans caught in crossfire

Three environmental organisations complained yesterday that six caravans were illegally trespassing on a protected site in Mellieħa, a claim denied by the government.

Din l-Art Ħelwa, BirdLife Malta and Nature Trust expressed outrage over the relocation of the caravans, whose owners were last month evicted by the Land Department and the planning authority from a site they used to occupy near the Mellieħa Bay Hotel.

They have now plonked themselves within the protected Foresta 2000 site, the organisations claimed.

"It is outrageous that these caravans have simply been relocated to a protected site, in a move apparently facilitated by the Mellieħa council. We are tired of the authorities simply shuffling problems from one site to another without taking the time to solve the issues in the first place," they said.

They also complained of trees being chopped down and a rubble wall being damaged.

A Land Department spokesman denied that the area they were moved to formed part of Foresta 2000.

Mellieħa mayor Robert Cutajar said that under an agreement between the government, the local council and a private land owner, the six caravan owners were given permission to stay in the car park of a former hotel until the end of summer.

The site next to the Mellieħa Bay Hotel formerly occupied by the caravans sites was cleaned up, creating more than 200 parking spaces, he added.

He also said that the trees claimed to have been chopped down were acacias and not protected. And as soon as he heard about the rubble wall, he immediately sent workers to repair it.

Caravan owner John Said denied that any trees had been cut down or any walls ruined. What did happen was that a lot of rubbish and branches had been cleared from the site, he added.

Mepa enforcement officers went on site yesterday and are now investigating the matter.