Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538544
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 AUGUST 2025 NEWS Lands Authority clearance still missing for Gzira lido roof deck THE Planning Authority's di- rectorate has reiterated its op- position to the regularisation of sunbeds on the Aqualuna Lido toof deck in Gżira because the Lands Authority has not con- sented. The Development and Man- agement Directorate has once again called for the refusal of an application to regularise the placing of sunbeds on the roof- top. The irregularity has per- sisted for the past three years, and an application to sanction the activity has been pending since April 2023. The lido belongs to a consorti- um of four seafront hotels—Bay- view, Kennedy Nova, 115 The Strand, and Waterfront hotels— and is fronted by hotelier Mi- chael Stivala, who presented the application on their behalf. After three deferrals over the past two years, a decision by the Planning Commission is now set for 2 September. The case officer had originally recommended approval to reg- ularise the additional deck area and glass railing on the roof, cit- ing "the operational needs of the four hotels" and the "holistic de- sign and visual permeability" of the proposal. However, the commission in- sisted it could not issue the per- mit in the absence of clearance from the Lands Authority. The land on which the lido was con- structed was granted on conces- sion by the government. In its last meeting on this issue held in February the commission had agreed to suspend its deci- sion by three months to give the consortium more time to obtain this clearance. But with no such clearance forthcoming, the case officer is now recommending refusal, not- ing that the absence of endorse- ment by the Lands Authority "runs counter to the Develop- ment Planning Act, which re- quires that the Planning Board shall have regard to recommen- dations made by consultees". The site is a 2,500sq.m lido on land reclaimed from the sea, leased to the consortium of four seafront hotels on the basis of a parliamentary resolution from 2018. The lease includes a clause stating that "no roof structures and services shall be permitted to be placed on the roof." The sunbeds were placed on the roof despite this clause in both the original planning permit and the lease contract, which require the roof to be left unencumbered by any struc- ture. The consortium has argued that the placement of sunbeds on the roof does not breach the deed because "sunbeds and um- brellas are temporary by their very nature and cannot be con- sidered as structures". An architect's report justified the placing of sunbeds on the roof of the lido as an efficient use of land. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The lido belongs to a consortium of four seafront hotels—Bayview, Kennedy Nova, 115 The Strand, and Waterfront hotels