The Mepa board is to be asked to sanction the building or extension of a number of boathouses built without a permit in scenic Dwejra, Gozo, when it meets tomorrow.
According to the agenda of the meeting, the board is being asked to sanction the building of six boat houses, the extension to the existing bar, extensions to two boat houses and the building of a 'fishery store'.
The board last month approved the building on an interpretation centre overlooking the 'inland sea' at Dwejra after ordering the demolition of the top floor of a concrete frame which was built years ago before construction was stopped.
The controversy over the sanctioning of the boathouses has been raging for years.
In February 2008 the Dwejra Heritage Park Steering Committee within Mepa insisted today that the sanctioning of the Dwejra boathouses was not an election stunt but part of a process going back to 2005.
“The sanctioning of these boathouses is part of an integrated Heritage Park Action Plan that was approved by a number of key stakeholders in 2005. Those boathouses that did not conform to the Action Plan were recommended for refusal and subsequently refused by the MEPA Board. The preparation, as well as part of the implementation of this plan, which is being funded by the European Community through the LIFE Third Countries scheme, was co-ordinated by Nature Trust (Malta) and the Italian branch of the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Italia),” Mepa said at the time.
“This plan, for a which an extensive public consultation exercise was carried out, calls for the adoption of a comprehensive approach for the conservation and preservation of resources and features of scientific, cultural and aesthetic interest in the area. The plan includes 23 management measures that need to be implemented in order for the site to achieve the desired levels of protection of natural and culture heritage. The project includes the restoration of habitats, the creation of a Marine Protected Area, the setting up an educational visitors centre with information panels around the park, the restriction of hunting and trapping in the area, traffic management measures, a study on ways to slow down the erosion process of the Azure Window, the restoration of rubble walls and the tackling of illegal dumping and degradation connected with the nine quarries around the area.”
Mepa said the sanctioning of a number of boathouses, subject to a number of conditions, was another measure that was included in this approved comprehensive plan for the management of the area. The sanctioning of all the boathouses in the area guaranteed the introduction of uniformity and aesthetic improvements in the area with among others, wooden apertures, walls painted with palette colours, the removal of all second floors and roof top structures and the conformity of all boundary walls to a reduced height of not more than 1.2m. All owners are to pay a major fine and a planning contribution fee that will be used for improvement and management of the area"
During tomorrow's meeting, Mepa will also be asked to issue a permit for the removal of non-historic accretions and to authorise emergency works for safety reasons at Fort St Elmo and the enjoining Caraffa Enceinte in Valletta.