Give Armier back to the public – AD

Armier should be given back to the public, and all illegal boathouses should be removed, Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Michael Brigiglio said.

Addressing the press outside the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's office at Castille, Briguglio said: "The Prime Minister should call a spade a spade and declare that no more usurpation of public land will be allowed in Armier and other areas."

The Green Party chairperson also urged Labour to break its silence and support such a policy.

"AD's election in parliament will ensure that the issue is on the agenda. You know where we stand," Briguglio said.

In recent years, the Armier lobby group has benefited from two 'secret' pre-electoral promises made by the PN: one made on the eve of the 2003 election to hand over public land in Armier for the paltry €350,000 a year, and the other made by Gonzi himself in 2008 to respect the previous agreement and to intervene with MEPA on a pending application to redevelop the shantytown presented by the Armier lobby.

AD Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo noted that the illegal construction and utilization of boat houses on public land is the result of the complicity of politicians holding public office during the past 40 years.

"They turned a blind eye when public land was taken over abusively and acted as if nothing unusual had happened," Cacopardo said.

He pointed out that secret meetings on the eve of general elections to find a formula so that those who illegally took over public land retained its ownership "aggravate the situation."

Cacopardo said that there are two issues which have to be considered. "The first is the Marfa Action Plan published by Mepa for public consultation 10 years ago, which tackles in an holistic manner the area known as l-Ahrax tal-Mellieha emphasising the need to rehabilitate a number of areas and how different areas should be protected."

The second, Cacopardo said, is on how boathouses built on public land should be demolished and removed and the Marfa Action Plan proposal to built beachrooms in their stead in five zones proposed by Mepa.

Cacopardo concluded that AD believes that the boathouses should be removed without delay and that it is not necessary to build new beachrooms, considering the close proximity of practically all residential areas to the sea.

"It is essential that those who took into their possession illegally public property are not rewarded," the AD deputy chair said.