Kindly allow me to clarify some points regarding the article which appeared on MaltaToday of Sunday 24 May on the development of the Riviera Martinique hotel in Ghajn Tuffieha.
Your article states that the government has lodged a court case to reclaim the land on which the former Riviera Martinique Hotel stands. This is completely false. The land in question is freehold, and we, proprietors of the said Riviera Martinique Hotel are the outright owners of this land. There is absolutely no contestation by the Lands Department on this land. The pending court case lodged by the government concerns another piece of land that falls directly beneath the said Riviera Martinique Hotel, and stretches down to the sea shore. Therefore, the pending development application to redevelop the hotel should not in any way be affected by the pending court case.
In recent weeks, the structure of the old hotel has been reinforced and some parts of the building are at the moment being removed to ensure that any danger to the public is eliminated. These works, recommended by the government’s architect, were scheduled to be carried out years ago, but at that time we were refused permission to enter the site with the necessary equipment. It was only recently, after the intervention of the police, that we were given permission by MEPA to enter the site and carry out the necessary works.
We have now been applying to redevelop the site since 1992 and we have had two applications for hotels turned down. In 2004, an outline permit for a two-storey restaurant and a multipurpose hall was finally granted. So far, however we are still waiting for the full development permit to be issued. The recent application was merely one for an extension of the existing outline development permit, pending issue of the full development permit.
Regarding the stability of the terrain, contrary to the government’s architect report, an independent geological survey made by a leading geotechnical consultant, concludes that the suggested development holds no threat whatsoever to the terrain. On the contrary the foundations will serve to reinforce the cliff face. In his report, the consultant states that the terrain is identical to another two sites that he was involved with, that of Golden Bay and ir-Ramla l-Hamra. In both cases, his recommendations were taken on board and permission for new developments on a much larger scale were granted by MEPA.
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