Updated 9.20pm

Public access to the Manoel Island foreshore will be limited to daylight hours on weekends until "infrastructure and security measures are implemented", Gzira local council has said.

But in a meeting held this afternoon, representatives of development consortium MIDI insisted they would only consider granting the public access to the foreshore once it had met with government and gone through the various implications opening access would imply. 

The meeting represented a first attempt to bridge differences following the council's decision to back activists who broke locks and opened up access to the public last weekend.  

The council has now agreed to share surveillance costs with MIDI and said public access to the site will be limited to 8am to 8pm on weekends for the time being. 

In a statement, Gzira mayor Conrad Borg Manche' said that he hoped this was a first step towards restoring public access to Manoel Island's foreshore. 

"Public domain is not a concession given by a third a party but a public right and access should be restored immediately. It is now entirely up to MIDI plc to act in the interest of the public," the mayor said.

Earlier today, MIDI had said that it would consider granting the public some form of access to the foreshore as an ex gratia concession.

A clean-up scheduled to take place tomorrow morning at 10am would go on as planned, the mayor said. Anyone keen to lend a hand has been urged to make an appearance.