Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543310
12 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 FEBRUARY 2026 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Developer declares public ownership on land earmarked for Bugibba lido A private developer has resub- mitted plans for a beach lido overlooking the rocky foreshore in Buġibba after withdrawing an earlier application that had in- correctly stated the site was not government-owned. The new proposal, filed by Stephen Bonnici's compa- ny Islet Fantasy Funpark, in- cludes a restaurant, pool and adjacent sunbed area on an 828-square-metre cemented platform near Bugibba Water Park. The firm, which also owns Popeye Village, stated in its lat- est application that it does not own the land but has secured the owner's consent, and clarified that the site is "partly or wholly owned by Government." This marks a shift from a pre- vious application submitted in 2024 — now withdrawn — which had declared the land was not government property. Photomontages submitted with the new proposal show the development confined to the al- ready cemented area. However, aerial imagery cited by the Plan- ning Authority indicates the site formed part of the natural rocky foreshore before 2004, with the concrete platform likely con- structed around 2008. Planning records show that in 2004 Gaetano Tanti obtained a permit to develop a seasonal children's park on the site, op- erating only between May and September. Approved facili- ties included a bar and first-aid room, and a later permit allowed the bar's relocation to an exist- ing public convenience struc- ture. According to the St Paul's Bay Local Council, the area con- tinued to be used as a children's attraction until 2018. The site — previously a mi- ni-golf facility — is designated as a "safeguarded area" in the lo- cal plan, a zoning category that applies to much of the Buġibba shoreline and generally prohib- its permanent structures despite falling within the development zone. The local council had object- ed to the earlier lido proposal, backing its position with a tech- nical report by architect Mariel- lo Spiteri. The report concluded the project would intensify use in a location that is relatively in- accessible and not directly con- nected to a public road. Local officials argued that ap- proving the lido would represent a departure from the low-impact development approved in 2009, which mainly served children already visiting the nearby water park. By contrast, the new plans envisage year-round commercial activity likely to draw addition- al traffic to an area with limited access. The council also warned that the project would increase de- mand for on-street parking with- out providing dedicated spaces. Environmental groups Movi- ment Graffitti and Din l-Art Ħel- wa previously objected, arguing that the proposal would further commercialise the foreshore. The application is now pending assessment. Render of the proposed lido