Rabat Lunzjata Wied ir-Rum

Today's walk, in excellent weather, was attended by around 45 ramblers.

Walk leaders: Elaine, Nancy and Pat.

Some photos below.

One of the leaders at Lunzjata chapel.

A wayside memorial

Cave

Cave Entrance

Wied ir-Rum

Il-Qaws

Wied Liemu

Wied ir-Rum

The Times online
Friday, January 6, 2012, 12:30

Armier sub-station application refused

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The Malta Environment and Planning Authority unanimously refused Enemalta’s application for a sub-station in Armier, saying there was no justification for the structure in an outside development zone.

The Environment Planning Commission refused the application which was recommended for refusal, saying that other sites, including buildings or areas within scheme could have been chosen for the sub-station.

During the meeting, for which around 50 boathouse residents were present, the board heard Enemalta’s architect explain that the sub-station was needed because the area suffered from low voltage.

The architect said that the closest sub-station was around 1,500 metres away, more than five times the recommended distance. He pointed out that there were residences, farms and tourist complexes in the area and that the area suffered from a low voltage in summer.

The case officer’s report was more concerned about the boat houses. But the application for the sub-station did not mean that the number of boathouses would increase. Many had electricity metres which had been granted legally.

There were aerials belonging to Go and Melita and the wind mast belonging to the Resources Ministry.

Sandra Magro, who headed the board, asked the architect several times to identify the businesses and developments within a 300-metre radius which required a sub-station.

Without actually identifying these structures on the map, the architect said that the corporation had a duty to provide safe and adequate electricity to all.

Tarcisio Barbara, representing Armier Developments, said that the boathouse owners had been promised by several governments that they would not lose their property. Hundreds, he said, had legal electricity metres.

However, the low voltage in summer was causing a number of electrical problems which damaged the owners’ appliances and someone had to take responsibility.

He pointed out that the environmental groups were making the application out to be one for boathouses and not for a substation. He added that he did not expect them to come out so strongly against this sub-station.

He referred to the Prime Minister’s letter reassuring the boat owners that measures would be taken to safeguard their property and pointed out that the boathouses were included in the Marfa action plan.

Mrs Magro, who is also the Mepa board’s deputy chairman, pointed out that the Marfa Action Plan had still not been approved, the area was still outside scheme and, therefore, the commission had to take a decision on the present planning policies in the area.

Mellieha mayor Robert Cutajar, speaking on behalf of the council said it was against any illegalities of any type but pointed out that there were farmers and business communities that needed electricity who should not suffer because of illegalities.

Alex Vella, president of the Ramblers Association, one of the NGOs protesting against the application, pointed out that the low electricity supply in summer was caused by boathouse owners who owned an electricity metre from which they also fed their neighbours.

He said that when he had built a hotel years ago, he had been requested to provide the space within the property for the sub-station. He argued that the same should be done for any businesses or tourist complexes that needed the sub-station.

31 Comments

Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 12:29

MEPA to decide Friday on substation for Armier 'boathouses'

Environment NGOs have, yet again, voiced their strong opposition to Mepa granting permission to Enemalta to set up an electricity substation serving the 'squatters' village' in Armier.

The decision is due to be taken by Mepa this Friday.

"Common sense instinctively guided the Case Officer to recommend an outright refusal of this application. Apparently the Case Officer has a lot more sense than Enemalta, which should never have submitted this application in the first place," the NGOs said.

They said the squatters are illegally occupying approximately 67,000 sq mt of prime seafront ODZ real estate at Armier bay.

"Enemalta, in their wisdom, have already supplied these 800 beach rooms with electricity, presumably without asking for a compliance certificate from Mepa, as they normally do for ordinary members of the public. Now Enemalta wants to strengthen the electricity supply, so that these squatters will be better served.

"For a member of the European Union that prides itself on its principles of democracy and justice to allow prime land to be illegally seized, and subsequently have this occupation supported by a government entity, is an insult to every tax-paying citizen of these over-exploited islands."

The NGOs - Ramblers Association of Malta, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Din L-Art Helwa, Malta Organic and Agriculture Movement, Nature Trust Malta, Friends of the Earth Malta and Birdlife Malta urged Mepa to do what is reasonable, right and morally just, and 'throw out this application'.

"Mepa has recently been acting a little more responsibly in withholding permits to applicants who are clearly and blatantly abusing the system. An approval of this application would send out a totally different signal – that of rewarding illegality, and would go down in history as one of the most irresponsible, illegal and unjust precedents that MEPA has ever set."

20 Comments

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 , by Alex Vella

Intriguing public land issues

Ġnien Busewdien: The annual rate of €1,510 is prohibitive for agricultural use but is peanuts for speculative purposes in ODZ.

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The Ramblers’ Association receives frequent calls and letters from non- members about land issues. We always do our best to follow up.

A recent note concerned an idividual who likes roaming around on the Wardija ridge. Some time ago he was surprised to discover “No Entry” signs on reaching the hilltop used by the British as a cannon battery during the war. Thinking that the signs were abusively placed he proceeded on his ramble since it was his customary route, only to be accosted by one of three persons lingering there. He was told that it was private land, their land, all of seven tumoli (approximately two acres).

He wrote to us and in turn we wrote to the Lands Department asking whether the land in question was government land. We received an affirmative answer: government property given out some years back on “agricultural lease” – a type of land-lease (in Maltese qbiela), generally for agricultural purposes, that is annually renewed unless stopped by notification in advance.

We visited the place peculiarly named Il-Ħotba ta’ Gaba – a rock outcrop commanding such high ground over the bay of St Paul’s that no wonder the British set up a battery of powerful cannon there in defence of the harbour. The panorama is breathtaking with a wide-sweeping horizon that takes in Selmun, Xemxija, Mistra, St Paul’s Islands, Qawra, Magħtab, Madliena, Għargħur, Naxxar, Mosta and Mdina, with the fertile slopes from corresponding ridges in the foreground and the blue Mediterranean at the back.

The concrete platforms of the British cannons are still very evident on the otherwise very barren terrain that sparsely supports maquis. This baffled us: how come the land was leased for agricultural purposes when there was not one square inch of arable land? Does this signify that the department has no idea of the nature of the land it leases out? Does no department officer visit a site before it is leased out? Unbelievable.

Agriculture is conspicuous by its absence. There is, however, unmistakeable evidence of hunting and trapping: hides, spent cartridges and steel fixtures in the rock. Certainly no farmer was earning a living from these two acres! Seeing is believing and one can only believe if one visits the place.

We asked for a meeting with the Department of Lands and were cordially received. It was a session that gave us the first insight into the conventional methods of management of government or public land, which leave much to be desired.

We asked for a copy of the contract but were politely told that such contracts were not accessible for public viewing. Interesting indeed! So officials from the Lands Department can lease out government (read public) property without the owner (read public) having the right to know the terms and conditions! This raises various questions: Does government land belong or not to the people? Is it socially just that for the meagre sum of less than €100 annually such a vast tract of historical and scenic land is bestowed upon one person while the people are deprived from enjoying it?

Another land issue was brought to our attention by the Wardija residents and farmers. It concerned a tender issued by the Lands Department for a site in Ġnien Busewdien. The tender called for offers for a three-tumoli field, for a period of 50 years: lowest acceptable offer €1,500 annually. The tender heading clearly said that the field was to be used “solely for agricultural purposes”. The price sounded oddly expensive so we decided to probe deeper. We felt we had to visit the place.

To our surprise we found that the topsoil was rocky and sparse, not economically feasible for agricultural usage at that rate. Also a large part of the land was garigue and bare rock. But, the field bordered on one side a new three-storey construction on the very edge of the cliff overlooking Wied Qannota, in an outside development zone area. This fact duly stirred the residents because the new construction was out of the ordinary, to say the least. They felt that since the developer succeeded somehow to build in ODZ they could only suspect the worst: the spread of more construction where it should not occur.

We were in full agreement and to stress home the point asked the Audit Office of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to carry out an investigation.

Back to the tender: The tender was won by the one and only offer for €1,510. And it came from the same tenant who had held the same field on agricultural lease (qbiela) for many years before. Why would the same tenant opt for a 50-year lease at such a price rather than carry on with the agricultural lease which did not exceed €100 annually? We found the answer in the terms of the eventual contract, published in the tender. Condition 4 gave the winner practically a free hand of what he could do with the land! The rate of €1,510 is prohibitive for agricultural use but is peanuts for speculative purposes.

At this point we asked for a meeting with Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi who wisely called the presence of the respective heads from the Lands Department. The two issues above were raised together with others, about which more next time.

On the issue of Il-Ħotba ta’ Gaba we asked the department to stop the lease forthwith, as it has every right to do, since the present tenant was not earning his living from the land and neither could agricultural use be made of it. Ramblers even offered to take over the land to see to the upkeep of its natural and historical aspects and to render it accessible and amenable to the public.

To date, 15 weeks after our first letter and two subsequent reminders, there is still no answer from the Lands top people. The no entry signs at the Ħotba have been removed but we have no idea why.

On the other issue of Ġnien Busewdien we asked that the tender be withdrawn and an investigation be carried out, for the reason that we had serious doubts about the contract conditions and the way the tender was worded.

The heads of the Lands Department explained it was a standard contract ­– in our opinion a surprisingly naïve admission. The Parliamentary Secretary understood our surprised remarks and opined that the contract conditions should be reviewed and amended. The department is in duty bound to maximise revenue from public land, and that we understand; but surely not at the cost of paving the way for land speculation.

There are other land issues that we hope to put forward in future for the scrutiny of readers. Our purpose behind this is solely to raise awareness of conventional practices that the Lands Department has inherited.

Overwhelmed as the department undoubtedly is by the intricate nature of land ownership and its management, the intention of the Ramblers’ Association is to point out objectively any weaknesses in the system that may be taken advantage of by the crafty self-seeker as well as the more unscrupulous opportunist. It is common good that we seek to champion.

Mr Vella is president of the Ramblers’ Association of Malta.

7 Comments

Keith Aquilina

Today, 17:25

thumbs up to the ramblers' association!

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Gianfrancesco Buttigieg

Today, 12:12

Grazzi tax-xogħol siewi li qed tagħmlu għal pajjiżna. Kieku mhux għal nies bħalek (u membri tal-għaqda tiegħek), ftit li xejn jifdal fejn tmur passiġġata fil-kampanja f'Malta.

Thank you and stay vigilant.

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M Vella***

Today, 11:49

This is Malta the land of free to all,Jungle law,cowboy Constitution and mickey mouse government.

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Francis Sammut

Today, 11:31

It is absolutely disgusting that in this day and age we, the public at large, aren't being properly informed on that which is public land and that which is private. Like other democratic and civilized countries, we need to have the tools (detailed maps of areas, etc.) defining clearly that which belongs to the public at large and that which is private, otherwise confusion and worse, abuse is going to take the upper hand and we can wave goodbye to ecotourism - and ramblers can forget their usual strolls in what's left of our beautiful countryside.
We need, nay, we demand action be taken, now!

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Mr William Gatt

Today, 11:18

This is very disturbing, to say the least. If this article appeared in some other free nation newspaper it would cause an earthquake. Answers will be sought for the multitude of questions generated. Corrective action taken, names to be shamed clearly identified. But not in Malta. The land easily described as one where accountability and enforcement are no longer part of our vocabulary. The land where might is right, the law is strong with the weak and a country with a tendency to find part-time amateurs influencing if not directing professional organisations.

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Peter Murray

Today, 11:00

Further to my comments I have also experienced the igominy of being totally ignored by the Lands Department top brass when writing and asking for a response.However,we must be too critical of this irresponsible and discourteous ommission as such a non-response practice is endemic throughout governmental entities and that this disgraceful fact along with the other very salient issues and disquieting points raised in this correpondence should also be addresed accountably ,transparently and demonstrably by the Minister responsible.

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Peter Murray

Today, 10:51

Excellent awareness advice Mr.Vella as I have long registered similar concerns.It appears that one may put up signage indicating that any stretch of a land area is private land and entry is then not permitted without any emphasis on the "owner" or "leasee" of such land to provide proof that it indeed private land and have at their disposal irrefuable proof of this claim.Also a lot of this "private" land is never fenced off or walled or similar to advise potential trepassers of their indiscretion which I consider incredulous irf such land is actually owned or paid for by private individuals.It appears that we sunscribe to the Wild West's philosophy on land appropriation and merely put up a sign declaring and indicating that a person has claimed a section of land as their own!

The Times
Friday, December 9, 2011

‘Boathouses must not get power supply’

The sprawl of boathouses at Armier seen in the background

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Seven environmental groups are appealing to the planning authority to refuse a request to build an Enemalta substation to provide electricity to the illegal Armier boathouses.

Approving this application “will go down in the annals of our history as one of the most irresponsible, illegal and unjust precedents the planning authority has ever set,” the groups said in a statement.

Ramblers Association of Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Malta Organic and Agriculture Movement, Nature Trust Malta, Friends of the Earth and BirdLife are “strongly urging” the planning authority board to refuse the application, in line with the case officer’s recommendation. The request comes up for decision next month. The substation, for which an application was filed by Enemalta in 2007, would strengthen the power supply to the estimated 800 illegal boathouses built in the protected ecological area of Armier, the groups said.

“The existing squatters have, in the past, convinced Enemalta to supply electricity to their habitations. This was not enough – they also convinced Enemalta to apply for a new substation,” they argued.

The case officer, “rightly so”, recommended the development for refusal, as illegal development in the area would benefit from it.

The seven groups quoted the case officer report which said: “There is no reason, from a planning point of view, as to why the substation should be permitted, considering how the proposed structure is aimed at providing services to beach rooms that are used as illegal holiday homes proposed to be demolished through the structure plan policies.

“Approving this application will simply encourage more building abuse that the planning authority claims it is trying to stamp out,” the groups said.

Times of Malta
Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 15:41

NGOs insist Mepa should turn down substation application to serve boathouses

The 'boathouses' at Armier.

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Seven environmental NGOs insisted today that the Mepa Board must turn down an application by Enemalta to build an electricity sub-station in Marfa - serving people who built 'boathouses' without permits.

The board is due to decide on the application on January 6.

The NGOs are the Ramblers Association of Malta, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Din L-Art Helwa, Malta Organic and Agriculture Movement, Nature Trust Malta, Friends of the Earth Malta and Birdlife Malta.

"Approving such an application would simply encourage more of the building abuse that Mepa claims it is trying to stamp out. As such, an approval of this application will go down in the annals of our history as one of the most irresponsible, illegal and unjust precedents that MEPA has ever set," the NGOs said.

"For a member of the European Union that prides itself on its sense of democracy and justice to allow prime land to be illegally seized, and subsequently have this occupation blessed by a government desperate for votes on the eve of not one but two elections, is a betrayal of every tax-paying citizen on these Islands," the NGOs said.

They said the area of 67,000 sq mt of land at Armier bay is illegally occupied by 800 illegal structures, "but if the squatters' political arm-twisting is successful, this will increase tremendously."

The NGOs explained that an agreement signed with the Nationalist government on the eve of the 2003 election could extend the existing 67,000 square meters to around 231,000 square meters or 230 tumuli of public land, against an annual rent of €350,000. The pledge was renewed by the leader of the Nationalist Party just before the 2008 elections when he committed himself to “consult with Mepa” on the pending applications. The squatters’ lobby has also made back-room agreements with the LP just before the last two national elections, the NGOs said.

In 2004, Armier Developments, the squatters’ company, submitted applications proposing the development of 1,589 rooms, five playgrounds and a bowls pitch, a minimarket, three restaurants, a two-storey garage, three community centres and a clinic in an area spanning Ramlet il-Qortin, Ta’ Macca u l-Armier, the Barriera tal-Ahrax quarry, Little Armier and the Torri l-Abjad zone.

Parts of these areas are supposedly protected as Areas of Ecological Importance (Habitat Directive), Special Protection Area (Birds Directive), Area of Ecological Importance/Site of Scientific Importance and Special Area of Conservation - International Importance.

"The existing squatters have in the past convinced Enemalta to supply electricity to their habitations. This was not enough – they have also convinced Enemalta to apply for a new substation in order to strengthen the supply to their 'boathouses', the NGOs said.

The Mepa case officer has recommended refusal by the Mepa board on the basis that this substation would benefit illegal development in the area.

In his report he said: "there is no reason, from a planning point of view, as to why the substation should be permitted, considering how the proposed structure is aimed at providing services to beach rooms that are used as illegal holiday homes proposed to be demolished through the Structure Plan policies".

The Planning Directorate is therefore advising the MEPA board to turn down this application.

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43 Comments