The company representing the owners of the Armier boathouses today informed the court it was abandoning the appeal it had filed against an earlier judgment ordering their eviction from the controversial structures.

Armier Developments Ltd today informed the court of appeal, presided by Mr Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri and Mr Justices Giannino Caruana Demajo and Noel Cuschieri, that it did not intend to proceed with the appeal.

The First Hall, Civil Court, presided by Mr Justice Anthony Ellul, had declared that the 12 boathouses built on the Armier foreshore were illegal and were to be removed.

The decision had been welcomed by environmentalist lobbies and had been hailed as a landmark judgment.

The civil court had remarked that correspondence between the government authorities and Armier Developments Ltd was not binding and did not give rise to contractual obligations.

"Any transfer of public land must be done according to law and the foreshore can never be privatised," the court had stated.

The court had declared that any concession for the setting up of a caravan site was only to be effected under title of lease up to a maximum period of 10 years.

The boathouse owners had appealed this decision delivered in June 2013 but today they appear to have changed their minds since they informed the court of appeal that the proceedings were being abandoned.

Prof. Ian Refalo and lawyer Sarah Grech were counsel to Armier Developments Ltd. Lawyers Stefano Filletti, Nadia Vella and Mireille Sacco were counsel to the Commissioner of Lands and the Attorney General.