Almost 1,000 people have signed an online petition in 48 hours calling for political parties to take a joint stand over controversial illegal boathouses.

Entrepreneur David Darmanin set up the petition after an official of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority said this week that illegal boathouses were “a problem bigger than the planning authority”.

“My friends and I all have loans and pay taxes and it’s irritating to see these illegal buildings. We all enjoy being by the beach and notice these eyesores,” Dr Darmanin, 31, said.

He aims to collect 10,000 signatures, saying that each signatory “is committing not to vote for a political party unless they include a provision” in their electoral manifesto to take a stand on the subject.

“We want to give people a chance to voice their opinion on this subject and hope there are enough people to back it,” Dr Darmanin said.

The petition calls for a level playing field. “If all political parties agree to take action then it won’t be an issue,” he said.

The planning authority’s enforcement director has confirmed that an action plan to organise the hundreds of illegal boathouses in Marsascala was still being drafted, more than a year after it was promised.

Dr Darmanin hopes that if the petition is successful it will be presented to the political parties before the upcoming general election.

“The timing is perfect. If we present the petition after the election it will be too late,” he said.

The documents aims to make the situation politically neutral, something he admitted was very difficult, to “possibly end this ridiculous situation”.

The petition is at www.tiny.cc/boathouses.