Lands Authority CEO Claims Anglu Xuereb Has Been Squatting Illegally On Qawra Public Land For 40 Years
Lands Authority CEO Robert Vella has informed a parliamentary committee that the declassification exercise of the public domain act is aimed at regularising Anġlu Xuereb’s hotels which have been illegally occupying public land for the last 40 years.
The Shift has reported that Vella was appearing in front of the committee to explain the declassification exercise, led by Lands Minister Silvio Schembri, of 13,000 square meters of public domain land on Qawra’s foreshore.
He stated that the Suncrest and Sunny Coast lidos had been built on public land without a title by Xuereb in the 80s.
Vella went on to explain that the government was suggesting granting Xuereb a 65-year temporary emphyteutic concession to address the illegality.
However, to do this the land needs to be declassified from the public domain.
“This can only be done if we declassify the public land currently illegally occupied by the Suncrest and Sunny Coast from the law, as otherwise, we would not be able to give the land for commercial use.”
Environmental NGO Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) has slammed this declassification proposal, as well as a separate proposal to declassify parts of the seashore at The Chalet in Sliema. It had said that “the stated purpose of the change in the law is so generic that it can apply to any site imaginable”.
They fear that this will set a precedent to dilute the public domain act to further commercialise the seashore.
The Lands Authority has been in court with Xuereb since 1991 and Vella admitted that an out-of-court settlement is being discussed to settle the dispute. This would leave the land under Xuereb’s care while imposing a fine for illegal occupation.
Meanwhile, the Planning Authority has already approved two permits to demolish and redevelop the two lidos with the project being at an advanced stage.
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