Small Għadira bay extension to precede major works

A small section of the southern beach at Għadira Bay will be extended by 10m as part of studies preceding an extension of the entire beach.

The section abuts onto the rocky shoreline opposite the Danish village.

The small-scale project will allow the authorities to study the impacts of the extension before considering a much larger plan to extend the whole of Għadira as proposed in 2018.

The pilot project will result in the extension of the beach by 1,200sq.m through dredging of sand from other parts of bay. The project is a far cry from plans presented by Projects Malta in 2018 to extend the whole length of the Għadira beach by 30 to 40 metres over an area of 38,200sq.m.

The pilot project involves the construction of a groyne – a low, submerged wall built to check sand erosion.

Monitoring data gathered during a minimum of three seasons will guide the assessment of wider interventions to extend the beach.

The aim of the project, according to Projects Plus, the government agency responsible for the project, is to enlarge the beach so as to be able to accommodate more visitors and avoid overcrowding, while offering “a sustainable solution for the ever-increasing influx of tourists” and restore lost sand due to erosion from the beach in recent years.

The beach extension should withstand severe storms of a magnitude which occur once every 50 years.

The beach will be extended by shifting sand from a burrow area which is further offshore, by means of a suction dredger. A pump will suck the sand from the burrow pit, through flexible pipework.

A crane will lift the heavy equipment from the main road onto the beach, whilst a barge will be used to access different areas along the seabed. A long-reach excavator on top of the barge will smooth out and form the sand profiles underwater.

The burrow pit was chosen after studies to exclude areas which include protected habitats like Posidonia Oceanica seagrass, and all works will be conducted over 20m from protected habitats.

The Environment and Resources Authority has made it clear that its go-ahead for the pilot project does not entail its approval for wider replenishment interventions proposed in the bay, which would still need to be assessed and decided upon on their own merits.

According to the project’s architect, the smaller southern beach was chosen in order to limit the extent of the project and make it more easily reversible if it is not successful.

The groyne will be constructed on the central rocky shore area because the “along-shore drift was noted to move from the southern part towards the northern areas”.

In 2019 the Malta Tourism Authority said that it could change its position against a beach concession on the rocky shoreline proposed by the owners of the Danish village if the beach is extended. Originally the MTA had approved the beach concession but changed its position following public uproar after the application was flagged by MaltaToday.

The MTA had attributed its change of heart “to overriding circumstances” stemming from the fact that Għadira beach had shrunk considerably due to the inclement winter, thus reducing the available public open space.

However, it pointed out that it could revert to its original position “should the beach show signs of recovery and increase in surface area”.