Demolish the shacks in St Thomas Bay

The first look at the photograph depicting a section of St Thomas Bay (July 12) must have shocked those that have at heart the scenic areas of these islands. A closer look at the photo reveals that the shacks are surely supplied with electricity, because the poles carrying the overhead cables are clearly visible. Most probably the shacks are serviced also with potable water.

Developers and buyers of property know only too well that if a building is not certified by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to be complying fully with the approved drawings, there’s no chance that the building will be serviced with water and electricity. The owners of the said shacks have no drawings to comply with, hence they are not covered by building permits.

Therefore, all other things being equal, they are not entitled to have a water and electricity service. The owners of the shacks have no title to the property as they have usurped public land, on which the shacks are built, therefore the provision of water and electricity service can be considered illegal. One wonders whether their waste water and sewage are directed into the sea; or perhaps they are directed into a public sewer that was laid illegally to accommodate these usurpers of public property?

Furthermore, the name “boat­house” is a misnomer. Only some of the shacks are used to garage a boat in winter.

During summer most of these shacks are lived in, hence they do not classify as boathouses.

They lack approved sanitation. They have turned this scenic part of St Thomas Bay into a squalid environment. As they qualify better as slums than perhaps anything else, they should be demolished, and the whole bay should be reinstated to its natural pristine condition.

These islands do not afford to lose any of their scenic foreshores to any development of whatever nature, regardless of the circumstances.