Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1219206
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 MARCH 2020 NEWS JAMES DEBONO THE stretch of the disused coast road along l-Għadira s-Safra has not been incorpo- rated into the newly-proposed public domain site at Baħar ic- Cagħaq. The outcrop of land was pre- viously earmarked for a private beach project, but the applica- tion was dropped last January. The development, proposed by entrepreneur Frankie Grima, foresaw a huge car-park for 346 vehicles – over two levels on both sides of the roundabout – as well as beach facilities on top of the parking area. The stretch from the old coast road was left redundant after the completion of the road-widening project and the re-alignment of the road in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. In 2016, Trans- port Malta had told MaltaToday that it would be issuing a tender through which the area will be ren- dered as close to its natural state as pos- sible, by removing asphalt and other modern granular material. Yet no ac- tion had ever been taken. The decision to restrict public do- main status at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq has also disappointed environ- mentalists who had proposed the entire stretch of coastline, from Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq to Pem- broke, for public domain status. The proposal to include the 1,845sq.m stretch of land had been made by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar in 2017. The PA justified its decision by quoting the Attorney Gen- eral's advice against including sites which are mostly private- ly-owned land. Nearly half the area proposed by environmentalists is under government ownership. But in its report the Planning Authority says that in accord- ance with the guidance from the AG, "proposed sites with a majority of their area being subject to private titles, should not be considered for designa- tion as public domain". However, l-Għadira s-Safra covers less than 1% of the ar- ea proposed for public domain status by FAA, and since the first 15m of coastline is auto- matically given public domain status, most of l-Għadira s-Sa- fra is already protected. Moreover, the area proposed for public domain inclusion ex- cludes the part of the old coast road once proposed for the development of private beach. Even this area is also under public ownership, which makes its exclusion even more inexpli- cable. The exclusion of the wider Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq-to- Pembroke site is particularly con- troversial because it includes large tracts of gov- e r n m e n t - o w n e d land, including Pembroke's Natu- ra 2000 site, which is already designated as a Special Area of Conservation. It also includes the site where Infra- structure Malta is proposing to build the entrance to a tunnel which will serve Paceville's high-rise de- velopments. Environmentalists have ques- tioned why this area was ex- cluded. FAA's Tara Cassar said that even if the AG's guidance was correct, "there is still no justification for having exclud- ed the government-owned land in Pembroke from the public consultation exercise." Also excluded are the Wied Għomor and Wied il-Kbir area in San Gwann originally pro- posed by former environment minister José Herrera. This was excluded because only 27% of the land area under govern- ment ownership. In 2016, FAA and Friends of the Earth proposed 23 sites for public domain status. An additional site was proposed by Herrera. The Planning Au- thority's public consultation concerning these sites issued in 2017, included each and every single site proposed. Over 5,000 people had voiced their support for the proposals. But following the exercise, only l-Għadira s-Safra and the Domus Romana in Rabat were proposed for public domain status by the State. The Public Domain Act im- poses a burden on the State to protect public domain sites for future generations, safeguard- ing them against unsustainable development, commerciali- sation and environmental de- struction. Private property rights are not affected by the law, but own- ers may have to prove their land was legitimately acquired and registered, clarifying false claims of ownership and situ- ations where public access is abusively blocked. Moreover, the State cannot freely negotiate public domain sites with third parties (as it can with public land), but must en- sure the preservation of public rights for future generations. Under the law, the foreshore is automatically categorised as public domain while other areas and property, including valleys, squares, woods, forts, nature reserves and cultural artefacts, can be proposed for listing. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Public domain: disused Coast Road tract excluded Tara Cassar: "There is still no justification for having excluded the government- owned land in Pembroke from the public consultation exercise" The outcrop of land was once previously earmarked for a private beach project, but the application was dropped last January. The development, proposed by entrepreneur Frankie Grima, foresaw a huge car-park for 346 vehicles – over two levels on both sides of the roundabout – as well as beach facilities on top of the parking area AVVIŻ TAL-QORTI Ir-Reġistratur, Qrati Ċivili u Tribunali jgħarraf illi l-Prim' Awla tal-Qorti Ċivili ordnat il-bejgħ bl-irkant tas-segwenti: Data Ħin Nru. Subbasta Post Oġġetti 25th March 2020 10:30am 1/20 EM Kim Sciberras (ID128786M) vs Dylan Saliba (ID252693M) et 17, Triq id-Dejqa, il-Belt Valletta A three-seater sofa and two armchairs black in colour, an LCD-type television set of the make Panasonic, a surround sound system of the make Thompson, a satellite receiver of the make Hummax, a small metal table with a glass top and various other objects. 25th March 2020 11:00am 2/20 EGL Elmo Insurance Limited (C3500) vs Daniel Paul Grima (ID508580M). 17, Triq id-Dejqa, il-Belt Valletta Televixin AR System, 3 piece sofa maroon in colour, sottospecchio, 2 ceramic statues, 2 chairs, table and 6 chairs and other various objects. Aktar dettalji jistgħu jinkisbu mis-sit eletroniku: https://ecourts.gov.mt/onlineservices/JudicialSales Kull min jieħu sehem fl-irkant għandu jippreżenta l-karta tal-identita'. Marvic Farrugia Għar-Reġistratur tal-Qrati Ċivili u Tribunali