Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1400707
8 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 AUGUST 2021 PA approves extension of southern Ghadira beach PA shoots down development in Fgura open space JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has approved the expansion of a part of the southern beach at Għadira Bay by 10 metres as part of a 'pilot study' preceding an extension of the entire beach. The project will allow the authorities to study the impacts of the extension before considering a much larger plan to extend the whole of Għadira by 20 meters as proposed in 2018. The pilot project will result in the extension of the beach by 1,200sq.m through dredging of sand from other parts of the bay. Sand will then be pumped out on the beach and shifted accordingly using ap- propriate machinery. Before the wider extension of the beach is considered, the pilot project will be monitored over a minimum of three seasons "in order to gather suffi- cient data" to compare with mathemat- ical modelling. The pilot project involves the con- struction of a groyne – a low, partly submerged wall built to check sand ero- sion deemed essential for the stability of the extended beach. The groyne will be constructed on the central rocky shore area, which had previously been identified for a beach concession for the Danish village in an application withdrawn in 2019. The aim of the beach expansion pro- ject, according to Projects Plus, the government agency responsible for the project, is to enlarge the beach so as to be able to accommodate more visitors and avoid overcrowding, while offering "a sustainable solution for the ever-in- creasing influx of tourists" and restore lost sand due to erosion from the beach in recent years. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage approved the works after be- ing reassured that the proposed works would have no impact on cart ruts found on the rocky area and after pho- tomontages were presented showing the limited visual impact of the new groyne. The groyne will be located entirely on the seabed, will not extend onto the rocky shore and will not involve any rock excavation. A silt curtain will be erected during the works to avoid ecological damage due to increased turbidity while machinery and material will be not be allowed to be placed on sensitive habitats. Extension is currently limited to the part of southern beach abutting on the rocky area separating the northern and southern beaches but works are being seen as a pilot study for extension of whole beach THE Planning Authority has re- fused a zoning application by the Bilom Group to construct a new road linking Triq il-Pluviera to Triq L-Isponsun in Fgura, which would have paved the way for new residential development on a 4,535sq.m site, which is pres- ently one of the few green lungs of the densely populated locality. The land in question includes 28 citrus trees, 12 evergreen trees, three cypress trees, a fig tree and a large number of prickly pear trees. The proposed road link meant to define the building alignment of future residen- tial development would have also led to the demolition of a century-old farmhouse, which presently defines the area. The area is also subject to a planning application that seeks to demolish the existing dwellings, and construct 209 basement garages, 23 maison- ettes, 69 apartments and 17 penthouses. The application is still at screening stage and de- pended on the approval of the zoning application, which sets the building line. Although slated for approval by the case officer, the proposal was met by firm objections by the local council in a meeting held in May where the decision was postponed. The local council warned the Planning Authority that the proposal would increase build- ing mass in an area known to be archeologically sensitive due to Punic tombs being dis- covered in the vicinity of the site in the 1940s. Misgivings were also ex- pressed by Planning Board chairman Vince Cassar. In an attempt to address the council's concerns the devel- opers submitted new plans ear- marking the proposed road as a "landscaped public pedestrian area" connected to an under- ground parking through a ramp. The case officer still recom- mended approval of the latest plans on condition that future development on the site be de- termined by a single compre- hensive application and that 20% of the new pedestrian road would be landscaped. But the application was still refused in a meeting of the PA's executive council. Top: Ghadira Bay southern beach today and (above) a photomontage showing the extended beach and groyne constructed on the central rocky shore area