Illegal roadworks have taken place on Comino, a protected island due to its ecological importance.

The Commissioner of Land has been slapped with an enforcement notice from the planning authority but the culprit remains unknown.

The breach involved the levelling of the road that leads to the Blue Lagoon with concrete and the dumping of construction material which spills onto the garigue.

The enforcement notice was served on Land Commissioner Albert Mamo because the illegalities occurred on government land.

“When Mepa does not know who the contravenor is, the enforcement notice is issued on the Commissioner of Land. When Mepa knows who the contravenor is then the enforcement notice is used on both the contravenor and the Commissioner of Land,” a spokesman for the planning authority said. The enforcement notice states that no permission was sought from Mepa, which is the managing authority for the Natura 2000 site.

Now it’s up to the Land Commissioner to identify who was carrying out these illegal works

Comino is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the Habitats Directive and as a Special Protected Area (SPA) for birds under the Birds Directive. Comino was also designated as a nature reserve in Malta’s Structure Plan in 1991.

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the perpetrator is not yet known. “Once Mepa determines who carried out the illegal works an enforcement notice will be issued,” a spokesman said, seemingly unaware that it has already been served.

But Mepa said it was not up to the authority to determine who carried out the illegalities.

“No. Now it’s up to the Land Commissioner to identify who was carrying out these illegal works on ‘his land’. Mepa from its end would have tried to find out who the culprit was but this is not always possible, especially with such illegalities,” the planning authority’s spokesman said.

The OPM also said Mepa will proceed with the removal of the concrete on the path leading to the Blue Lagoon.

The island’s garigue, a habitat characterised by low-lying, aromatic and spiny woody shrubs which are resistant to drought and exposure, contributed to Comino’s designation as a Natura 2000 site.

Comino road was levelled with concrete

Comino’s habitat supports a number of endemic species. As a Natura 200 site, it forms part of a network of European nature reserves that merit special protection on a European level due to their ecological importance.

Comino was designated as an SPA in 2004 but it remains without a management plan, according to Mepa documents. The planning authority is charged with its protection. The site’s management plan remains at the stage of preparation 10 years after it was granted protection. Such plans are a legal requirement for Natura 2000 sites.

Still, the planning authority encourages all bathers and mariners visiting Comino to be responsible and to respect Comino’s natural heritage.

cmuscat@timesofmalta.com