Hunters object to Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq caravan site

Hunting organisation Kaċċaturi San Ubertu is objecting to the creation of a temporary caravan site on the Coast Road next to a nature reserve under its management.

KSU warned that the approval of the application would aggravate an “already serious” situation resulting from illegally parked caravans in the area.

In its objection with the Planning Authority, the hunting group submitted photos of filth and waste left on site by caravan owners, who already use the area abusively.

The proposed temporary caravan site is next to a roundabout opposite the Magħtab landfill, occupying a stretch of abandoned road that used to form part of the Coast Road. The area is 4,000sq.m in size.

It is adjacent to land which was allocated to KSU to develop a bird observatory that will include brackish water ponds for wader species.

KSU warns that an already serious sanitary situation could be made worse by formalising the area as a caravan site

The nature reserve, known as l-Għadira tas-Safra, is a Natura 2000 site and KSU is currently in discussions with the Environment and Resources Authority to enlarge the footprint into the area now being proposed as a caravan site.

The hunting organization was planning to plant trees in the area and expressed surprise at this change.

In their objection, KSU highlighted the fact that they have a management agreement with ERA and that trees have been planted on the site allocated to them with the help of Infrastructure Malta and ERA. 

KSU manage the site through rodent control, regular cleaning, watering and enforcement of the laws governing the site.

At the moment, there is an application by Ambjent Malta on behalf of KSU and ERA for the building of a reservoir to supply water for the natural pond for which the site is named. 

The application foresees the development of three artificial ponds to compliment the existing natural pond, building of a bird-observation post and formation of a pathway.

Area important for wader birds, ornithologists

KSU pointed out that the only limited parking for this Natura 2000 site and its surrounding areas is already taken over by illegal caravans. 

“This area of Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq is visited by hundreds of people including bird-watchers, surfers, canoers, amateur fishermen, beach-goers and swimmers,” the organization said.

They also described l-Għadira tas-Safra and il-Blata tal-Għallis, which is a short distance away, as “unique areas” which offer resting grounds for many migrating and resident birds, especially ducks, gulls, waders and other water-dwelling birds.

The nature reserve managed by KSU (top blue box) is metres away from the proposed temporary caravan site (bottom blue box)

Caravans littering area

KSU warned that the application could aggravate an already “serious situation” created by illegal caravans in the area. 

“The caravans started appearing around one-and-a-half years ago, but continued mushrooming. Today there is no space to park, not even for our site manager whose full-time job is to manage the site and report to ERA,” KSU said.

“Moreover, caravans are littering the site, emptying their excrements over the rocky shore, doing their business under the trees, keeping generators 24/7 and vandalising the trees and signs,” the organization said.

It warned that any temporary or permanent caravan site “will result in the situation getting worse if enforcement is not taken seriously and done continually”.

KSU also questioned how the caravan site will be serviced, noting that there is no electricity, water and sewage system in the area.

“When KSU made an official request to the authorities for such services, the reply was that it was impossible to supply electricity to the site since the closest distribution is more than 1 km away. Furthermore, water and sewage systems cannot be supplied either since the road would have to be dug up as far as Salina,” KSU noted.

Scant details

KSU has also asked for more details on the project since the drawings submitted in the application hardly had any. It is also asked for a clear statement on what the word temporary means and whether the permit, when issued, will be time-barred.

The Naxxar council has also objected, demanding a clarification on the “temporary” nature of the proposed caravan site.

“Does the word temporary refer to the length of time for which permission is being sought, or to the fact that caravans are ‘temporary’ structures? If the former, then what is the timeframe for use of the site for the parking of caravans?”

The application for the development of the caravan site was submitted by Infrastructure Malta but according to a spokesperson, the road agency was simply “assisting” the Environment Ministry in what it described as “minor civil works required to set up the two temporary caravan sites at Armier and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq”.

A spokesperson for the Environment Ministry had told MaltaToday that the  Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq site along with that in Armier were chosen because the land in question belongs to the government. The spokesperson confirmed that a larger number of sites had been proposed by the public during a public consultation held in March to elicit feedback on a policy framework to regulate recreational land uses for camping, caravanning and picnicking.