Beach lido in Bugibba seeks planning permit

A beach lido complete with restaurant, pool, and adjacent sunbed area is being proposed on an 828sq.m cemented area overlooking the rocky foreshore.

The development is being proposed by Stephen Bonnici’s Islet Fantasy Funpark, which, in its application, declared it does not own the site but has obtained the owner’s consent.

The applicant also stated that the land in question is not government-owned.

Aerial photos taken by the Planning Authority indicate that the area was still part of the rocky foreshore before 2004 with the concrete platform being erected some time before 2008.

In 2004, a previous applicant, Gaetano Tanti, was issued with a permit to develop a children’s park in the area, which was allowed to operate only between May and September.

The approved structures for the park included a bar and a First Aid room, and a subsequent permit was granted to relocate the bar to an existing public convenience site.

The area, formerly used as a mini-golf facility, is designated in the local plan as a “safeguarded area,” a classification that applies to most of the Buġibba shoreline.

This designation typically prohibits permanent structures, despite the area being within the development zone.