An environment tribunal has sanctioned a cesspit used by boathouse owners in Mellieħa.
The owners filed an appeal to sanction the cesspit and a pump sewer on the Santa Marija promenade in Mellieħa after an application had been refused by a planning commission four years ago.
The commission noted that the development was in a coastal protected area and breached a policy to “conserve and protect this part of the coast from further degradation by prohibiting further encroachments for the use of boathouses”.
The boathouses and parking area were built around 1976 and the applicants took it upon themselves at their own expense to plan and collect the sewage and pump it into a manhole. The boathouse owners argued the cesspit was “unobtrusive” as it was situated under a cemented area. It also fell in line with the area’s policies because it did not block public access to the coast or negatively affect the area.
The tribunal noted that the request by the boathouse owners to sanction the cesspit would not have a negative impact on the coast
They pointed out that the shoreline was still uninterrupted and the area where the cesspit was built did not hinder access to the shoreline.
A site inspection revealed that “a number of boathouses have direct discharge of waste water” on the coast.
The environment directorate said that these discharges “represent a potential for contamination” of the coast and marine environment.
This was not acceptable and, therefore, should be redirected to a cesspit.
The site is in an outside development zone at Xatt ta’ Santa Marija in Mellieħa and consists of a number of adjacent boathouses facing the coast.
In its decision, the tribunal noted that the request by the owners of the boathouses, which are covered by a permit, to sanction the cesspit was not going to have a negative impact on the coast. Public access was not going to be affected.
However, it fined the boathouse owners €275 because the development had been made without a permit.
Five years ago, a planning commission refused to give the go-ahead for property magnate Albert Mizzi to build 26 boathouses in the area.
The commission said the application was not in line with the local plan that lists the site as a protected coastal area.