Just when arrangements are being made to relocate a café/restaurant at Golden Bay in a bid to win a Blue Flag, another bay, the largest on the island, risks losing it after the planning authority allowed a concrete platform to be laid in the sand for a beach kiosk. Does this make sense?

But, then, so many environmental irregularities are taking place today that it is not altogether unreasonable to come to the conclusion that those who are supposed to keep control of the situation seem to be increasingly isolated in their thinking from the rest of the community.

The laying of a concrete platformin the sand may not count for much if taken on its own but within the context of Għadira Bay it most certainly does because the area enjoys special conservation status.

Does it pay to have the bay risk losing the Blue Flag for a kiosk?

The mind boggles even further when considering that, according to two non-governmental organisations  Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar and the Ramblers’ Association  the permit for the kiosk was repeatedly refused and it had had two enforcement orders swept away through the approval of a permit issued as a development notification order.

The NGOs say the DNO system bypasses public consultation to fast-track applications for minor works. The laying of the concrete platform may be considered as minor work in another locality, however, at Għadira Bay it is certainly not and the planning authority ought to have kept the bay’s special status in mind before approving the permit.

Even if, for the sake of argument, the platform were to be considered a minor job, it can hardly be described as a temporary structure.

Which is why the granting of the permit appears to be illogical. No wonder, therefore, the president of the Chamber of Architects described the development as “tragic”.

To make the situation even harder to understand, it would seem that the kiosk at the centre of the issue is only one of seven that are being upgraded. It is well and good to upgrade the kiosks as some of them are shabby but does this mean that upgrading could involve works that will put the Blue Flag status at greater risk?

The people running the International Blue Flag programme have already contacted their local representative, Nature Trust, to see what impact the work will have on the bay.

According to environmentalist Alan Deidun, it is estimated that only two per cent of the coastline is sandy. When the island has so few sandy beaches, it does not make sense to allow more encroachment, in any shape or form, in such places. On the contrary, the authorities that are charged with the protection of the environment ought to keep their eyes wide open all the time to ensure that no infringements take place anywhere and that every inch of sand or sand dune is preserved.

Has not the country done enough already to destroy premium stretches of coastline over the years? When will it come to its senses and truly start protecting the environment for this and future generations?

This is not a plea against all development, or an outright condemnation of the work being done by the planning authority. No country can stand still, and, clearly, not all that is done by the planning authority is wrong. But there has to be greater awareness all round to stop the degeneration so much in evidence in so many places.