Walker distances himself from pre-electoral boathouse frenzy
James Debono
Malta Environment & Planning Authority chairman Austin Walker publicly distanced himself from the legalisation of dozens of boathouses on the eve of the last election, before presiding over a MEPA board meeting which shot down 17 applications to sanction illegal boathouses that had ‘missed the boat’ in February 2008.
On four separate occasions in February 2008, dozens of illegal boathouses were approved by the MEPA board, presided by former chairman Andrew Calleja, on the premise that they met the conditions set by the Dwejra Action Plan.
At the start of the meeting, Walker made it clear that “this board is different from that of 2008”, and that the present board “is not disposed to approve any illegal building” and “if possible it will make sure that no sanctioning will take place.”
The present board includes three members who were already on the board in 2008, namely Michael Ellul, Joe Tabone Jacono and Anthony Zammit.
And while the board was discussing an application to waive some of the fines imposed in 2008 when a number of boathouses were sanctioned, Walker interjected saying that “if this application had been presented today, possibly we would not even have approved it… times have changed.”
In February 2008, MEPA claimed that the sanctioning of a number of boathouses was a measure included in this approved comprehensive plan for the management of the area, and that it would have resulted in aesthetic improvements to the area as all second floors and rooftop structures would have been removed.
Most of the applications discussed last Thursday involved cases deferred in February 2008.
While in some cases the applicants’ plans still deviated from the conditions set in the action plan, and were thus recommended for refusal, nine other applications carried a favourable recommendation of the Planning Directorate as they fulfilled the conditions set by the Action Plan.
The case officers had changed their original negative recommendation following the publication of the 2006 local plan, which had endorsed the Dwejra Action plan.
But this time round the board was adamant not to sanction any development which was not visible in survey maps and photos taken in 1957 and 1968, including boathouses which fulfilled the conditions of the Action Plan.
Walker even invoked a circular issued to architects asking them to remove any illegal development before presenting an application to sanction, when faced with an application of one of the few boathouses which had a regular permit issued in 1971.
In this case the applicant was given three months to remove any illegal development on his site before applying to sanction the additions made over and above the 1971 permit.
The recently approved MEPA reform stipulates that MEPA can no longer sanction developments in ‘special conservation areas’ but this prohibition is limited only to developments carried out after May 2007.
But in this case MEPA has refused to sanction development carried out before this cut-off date.
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