‘Beef Bar’ pontoon for patrons in breach of policy

A proposal by the Beef Bar restaurant in Bugibba for three single-point moorings and a 15m-long floating pontoon on the Serena Lido foreshore has been shot down by the Planning Authority’s case officer.

But the permit is still being entertained by the PA’s planning commission which has postponed its decision to ask the developer to present documentation showing the area in question is not a swimming zone.

The case officer recommending refusal of the permit has acknowledged that the area in question is not officially designated as a “swimming zone” but warned that this will set a precedent for similar developments on this stretch of rocky coast, which would further limit public access to the foreshore.

The case officer said the proposal runs counter to the Northwest Local Plan, which excludes developments that compromise public access to the foreshore, as well as in breach of the Strategic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED), which states that new recreational facilities should not “restrict or interfere with physical and visual public access of the coast.”

But on Wednesday, the Planning Commission chaired by Martin Camilleri postponed its decision to 20 September, giving two weeks’ notice for “more detailed information” as well as for correspondence from government entities to determine “whether the site forms part of designated swimming zone”.

In an indication that the refusal of the permit might not be entertained, the Planning Commission asked that the case officer “assess the latest information, to clarify whether reasons for refusal have been addressed or otherwise and to prepare conditions.”

The Beef Bar restaurant wants the pontoon to serve as a landing point for seaborne customers, owing to its coastline location, between May and mid-September before being dismantled. The pontoon and its gantry will cover a 600sq.m area, extending for 15m, with three single moorings some 55m off the coastline.

AIS Environment, who penned Beef Bar’s project development statement, acknowledged that the pontoon would increase maritime traffic, and “could lead to a domino-effect for the local commercial activities in the area”.

Annual anchoring of the floating pontoon may also cause physical dislodgement of protected seagrass species and shading of underlying species.

AIS claimed these impacts were minor in what is not a swimming zone, and possibly mitigated by erecting a silt curtain during construction.

The Environment and Resources Authority initially objected, warning that the pontoon would lead to up-take and formalisation of the natural coast, which is still relatively open and pristine. It said it would create pressures for further development, and an undesirable precedent for similar future proposals in other sensitive areas. But subsequently the same authority had issued its clearance under several conditions, including on-site verification by a qualified expert prior to the laying of the platform.

In its latest submission ERA recognised that the proposal would introduce additional berthing facilities, currently limited to the nearby pontoon and jetty facilities to the west of the site. While noting this was not ideal from an environmental point of view and could lead to additional interventions in the area, ERA noted the “minor scale” of the proposed interventions, concluding that the environmental impact will not be significant.

The site is a Special Area of Conservation, called Żona fil-Baħar fil-Grigal ta’ Malta, a Natura 2000 site hosting protected habitats like Posidonia beds and protected species, such as the endemic and endangered Maltese Top-shell.

Project architect Edwin Mintoff contends that the proposed interventions are reversible and have a low visual impact.