The Environment and Planning Authority did not attach any conditions when it approved controversial works at Ramla Bay last Friday, a spokesman confirmed.

“Permit conditions were not issued with the clearance letter since the authority was satisfied with the detailed method statement that the Gozo Ministry submitted for the reinstatement works,” a Mepa spokesman said.

The works involved the removal or relocation of rocks from the Blue Flag beach using a bulldozer, starting at 4am last Friday.

Environmentalist Alan Deidun brought the works to public attention in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Dr Deidun was concerned about the impact of the bulldozer on the delicate ecosystem of the beach, which forms part of a protected Natura 2000 site.

He also claimed that Mepa disregarded the conditions recommended by its own Environment Protection Directorate when it issued the clearance letter.

Citing its right to environmental information under the terms of the EU Aarhus Convention, Times of Malta asked to see any conditions drawn up by the Environment Protection Directorate.

Mepa did not directly address the request to see what conditions the directorate had suggested.

It would only say that no conditions were issued by the authority because it was satisfied with the Gozo Ministry’s method statement, and that the works would be carried out under the supervision of two representatives from the Gaia Foundation, an environmental NGO which manages the beach.

Petra Caruana Dingli, who resigned as Mepa’s environment protection director in April, said yesterday: “In my experience the Environment Protection Directorate always adopted a very cautious approach when handling requests for the shifting of large pebbles or rocks on the sand at Ramla Bay.

“Environment officers would first discuss the details with the applicant, and only allowed limited and strictly necessary interventions under specific conditions.”­­­

Rocks were removed from the Blue Flag beach using a bulldozer. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi