Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1530615
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 DECEMBER 2024 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt St Paul's Bay Council raises alarm over proposed lido THE St Paul's Bay Local Coun- cil is objecting to an application to develop a lido, on a paved site overlooking the rocky foreshore near the Qawra Water Park. To support its objection, the council presented a report by architect Mariello Spiteri, which concluded that the de- velopment would result in the "intensification of use" in an ar- ea that is relatively inaccessible and does not directly adjoin a public road. The development is being pro- posed by Stephen Bonnici's Is- let Fantasy Funpark, which, in its application, stated that while it does not own the site, it has secured the owner's consent. The proposed lido will feature a restaurant, pool, and adjacent sunbed area. Furthermore, the applicant al- so stated that the land in ques- tion is not government-owned. Bonnici is also the owner of Popeye Village. Aerial photos taken by the Planning Authority show that the area was part of the rocky foreshore prior to 2004, with the concrete platform having been constructed sometime be- fore 2008. In 2004, a previous applicant, Gaetano Tanti, was issued a permit to develop a children's park in the area, which was al- lowed to operate only between May and September. According to the council, the site was used for this purpose until 2018. A subsequent permit issued by an appeals tribunal in 2009 al- lowed for the establishment of a bar and a first aid room within a building that already housed public toilets. The bar was only permitted to operate between May and September. The building in question still houses public toilets, managed and operated by the St Paul's Bay Local Council, alongside a Tourist Information Office. The council's main concern is that approving the proposed li- do would mark a shift away from the "very low-key" development approved in 2009, which pri- marily catered to children al- ready in the area, complement- ing the adjacent Bugibba Water Park. The new proposal, howev- er, would introduce year-round commercial activity, attracting additional traffic to an area that is not easily accessible from a public road. The council is also concerned that this will increase on-street parking demand, without pro- viding any on-site parking. The NGOs Moviment Graf- fitti and Din l-Art Helwa have also objected to the application, claiming that it would further commercialise the use of the foreshore.