Owners of illegal ‘boathouses’ in Armier have carried out extensive refurbishment during the winter months, it has emerged, making their structures more permanent.
The beach houses were connected to the electricity grid last year after being fitted with smart meters and while the move had caused public uproar, the government insisted this would help clamp down on illegalities.
However, sources who spoke to this newspaper said that the move has only served to further encourage owners to make their structures more permanent, with many of them carrying out embellishing works ahead of summer.
Some 60 owners spent the winter months repainting walls, changing tiles and carrying out plastering works, the sources said, adding that the connection to the electricity grid and water supply led many owners to believe they would not be made to leave any time soon.
Contacted about the claims, a Planning Authority spokesman said that while a number of enforcement notices had been issued at Armier recently, such refurbishment works did not require any permits.
The authority was issuing daily fines
The summer houses at Armier – mainly those near the Torri l-Abjad and Ramlet il-Qortin area – have been the subject of criticism for years because they were built on public land without a permit or title to the land.
The numbers have continued to increase over the years, booming into shanty towns. In 2013, a court ruled that the construction of at least 12 of them was illegal as they were built on public land and too close to the foreshore, which according to law, cannot be privatised.
The authority has issued enforcement notices to 20 boathouse owners who between October and last month made illegal changes to their structures.
An authority spokesman said that there were four boathouses which were completely demolished, only to be replaced by more permanent brick structures. In doing so, the spokesman said, the newly-constructed structures became “beach houses”.
Other owners retained their existing structures and made some changes to enlarge them. The roof of one boathouse, which was 11 courses high, was demolished and raised to 14 courses.
While the boathouse owner had initially taken the necessary steps to remove the infringements highlighted by the authority, upon a second inspection, the spokesman said, the structure had once again been roofed.
An existing pill box, which was extended by a squatter without a permit, is being used as a residence, the spokesman said, adding that this case was also being investigated by the government’s Property Department.
A boathouse which was completely destroyed after an explosion in March has already been reconstructed, the spokesman said.
Asked about what action was being taken against these boathouse owners, the spokesman said that the authority had slapped owners with enforcement notices and was issuing “daily fines”. The spokesman did not give any details on whether any further action would be taken.