Coalition for Gozo has said that it ”refuses to accept that the fate of the old boathouses, housing the Stone Crab and Boathouse restaurants, is sealed and that the fight is over. This was the last remaining corner of sanity in one of the most loved bays in the Maltese Islands.”

The recently formed Gozitan coalition of NGOs is made up of Din L-Art Helwa Ghawdex, Ghawdix and Wirt Ghawdex.

The demolition of the Boathouse and the Stone Crab and plans to develop both sites into large scale buildings were the subject of various news articles and statements by NGOs. The Coalition said that when news of their fate was brought to light, this led to an outburst of public outrage and anger.

In a statement, the Coalition argued that it is ”hard to understand the logic of this planning approval. No heed is being taken on the extreme negative impact on the once pretty fishing village, and the harm being wrought on the picturesque cliffs and protected garigue, let alone the enjoyment and wellbeing of the public.”

‘This latest act of madness, in the saga of Gozo over-development, hit the international news last week with a prominent article published in Britain’s news publication The Telegraph, penned by journalist and correspondent Nick Squires and was titled “Malta’s beloved historic buildings come tumbling down amid government ‘orgy of development.’

The Coalition noted that the author appears to have personally witnessed the demolition, having described the scene as follows:

”The first crunch of steel against stone came as tourists tucked into rabbit stew …… clouds of dust billowed over startled holidaymakers, who sat having lunch in the sunshine less than 100 yards away…within a couple of hours the Boathouse – once lauded by guidebooks as “a restaurant where you can eat fresh fish with sea almost lapping at your toes” – was a pile of rubble….in its place will be built a new eatery but with storeys of apartments on top – the latest addition to the chronic overdevelopment of Xlendi, a bay which is crowded with dozens of high-rise apartment blocks despite the fact that it does not even boast a beach.” (Quote from The Telegraph, 14th November 2021.)

The article on The Telegraph is just the latest in a recent string of articles on British, European and global news publications casting a dark shadow over our tourism sector, the Coalition said.

”This vital industry – for both Malta and Gozo – is being severely threatened. Such bad press about the downhill trend in our tourism infrastructure should be sounding alarm bells everywhere in our country, especially when competing tourist destinations are upgrading and improving their environment and tourist product,” it said

The Coalition pointed out that in recent days various business bodies have spoken out against the ”over-development and long-term, permanent damage we are inflicting on ourselves as a nation, which in the present economic circumstances, simply cannot afford to take a nose-dive in tourism. Such development is also severely diminishing the quality of life of Gozo residents, who, as a result, are being forced to suffer incessant noise and further uglification of their beloved island.”

Coalition for Gozo said that it is speaking out to demand that the Government and the Planning Authority (PA) recognise the ”gravity of the situation and address it with utmost urgency. The Coalition is strongly recommending that the present construction work in Xlendi be stopped immediately.”

It is also demanding that a full independent investigation be launched on the manner the permits for demolition and re-development of these old boathouses were granted with ”blatant disregard to any sense of aesthetics, scale, and context.”

The Coalition stressed that this development was approved despite the fact that the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage strongly recommended that it should be refused.

The Coalition added that it ”finds it difficult to understand” how two prominent site notices affixed by the PA on the Boathouse and Stonecrab restaurants, located in an important restaurant area attracting tens of thousands of people, ”somehow went completely unnoticed.”

It went on to say that ”the projects remained under the radar, with the result that two applications in a site of such extreme sensitivity attracted only one solitary objection.”

The Coalition is also inviting the PA to view the videos of the demolition of this structure that were widely circulated on Malta’s social media to confirm whether the demolition activities, carried out in ”great haste in the face of public indignation, were in accordance with the demolition ‘method statement’ stipulated by the PA itself.”

The Coalition also stated that it is ”demanding accountability from the Government, the PA and the members of the PA board who approved these developments.”

”If the investigation concludes that this approval was not carried out in full accordance with the letter and the spirit of our country’s planning standards and/or is not in the best interests of the general public and Gozo’s economy, adequate steps must be taken. The permit must be rescinded and the Planning Authority must carry responsibility for any damages resulting from these actions,” it said.

Coalition for Gozo concluded by stating that, ”the future of the country’s economy must not be held to ransom by such outrageously inappropriate developments, and the right thing must be done. The common good should be the ultimate yardstick by which the negative impact of any proposed development is measured.”

Photo by Daniel Cilia: ”Coalition for Gozo refuses to accept that the fate of the old boathouses is sealed and that the fight is over. This was the last remaining corner of sanity in one of the most loved bays in the Maltese Islands.”

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