PN welcomes Armier eviction notice

PN says Labour should honour judge’s ruling that ordered the eviction of 12 illegal boathouses.

30 June 2013, 12:00am
by Matthew Vella

1 min read

The boathouse 'shantytown' in Armier - illegally constructed on public land.

The Nationalist Party has welcomed a court decision that sanctioned an eviction order by the Commissioner of Lands to remove 12 boathouses at Armier.

"This legal case was originally instituted following an eviction order instituted by the Commissioner of Lands during the previous legislature, led by a Nationalist Government. The Nationalist Party now expects the Labour government to honour the ruling delivered yesterday," MP Claudio Grech told MaltaToday yesterday.

The PN has joined the chorus of voices supporting the removal of the 12 boathouses, although it is yet to be seen whether they will agree with wider evictions demanded by the environmental lobby.

MaltaToday today reports that the Commissioner of Lands actually asked the court to have the proceedings stayed, so that it could reach an out-of-court settlement: a sign that the Labour government wanted to reach an agreement with Armier Developments soon after the March 2013 elections.

The government is now considering sanctioning "environmentally sound" boathouses, according to comments by Armier Developments Ltd director Tarcisio Barbara.

Judge Anthony Ellul declared this week that a written communication exchanged between the government and Armier Developments Ltd, the company representing the Armier boathouse 'squatters', was not deemed to be a binding contract, ordering the illegal constructions to be immediately evicted.

Ellul held that the caravans and illegal constructions at Armier were built on public land and very close to the foreshore. "Any transfer of public land has to be carried out in terms of law and the foreshore cannot be privatised... Transfer of land on shores for the building of caravans can only be by title of rent for less than 10 years."

Both the Nationalist and Labour administrations have forged pre-electoral agreements with Armier Developments Ltd, guaranteeing some form of permanence for the illegal developments.

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...

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There is no limit to the hypocrisy that surround the Nationalist Party. First they permitted these things to happen during their 25 years in government, then they made an agreement with them, then they took them to court, now they want the PL government to implement this ruling. Hypocrisy at it's best by the PN.

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ISSA ghax telaq GOnzi? Kif inbidlet id-diska....... http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/05/17/t2.html

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What kind of governments do we have. The PN did not have the balls to remove these twelve caravans two years ago and now because there is a court order in effect they are all for removing these caravans as long as they do not have to take responsibility. Hypocrites at best. The PL has the court order and they must follow the court order through Mepa, the other gutless government department. Stop playing the vote game and do what the court ordered and remove these ugly eyesore caravans from public land with in the next two weeks. Let us see what other tricks Armier Developments Ltd director Tarcisio Barbara has to in mind?

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The PN was always a party made up of a bunch ofHYPOCRITES.And it eems that they will never change.

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PN governments signed agreements with the Armier shanty town dwellers to secure a few hundred votes to stay in power. There is no other way how a power hungry party can stick to power for 26 long years. Everyone can appreciate that whatever Labour in opposition did, was to follow the PN and balance the selfishness of the PN government whose only intention was to remain in power even with a few hundred votes like what happened in 2008. So if a PN government signed an agreement with the shanty Armier dwellers, the PL had no other course but to do the same. Being 26 years in opposition leaves you no other option.

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With this press release the PN is conceding that they are at a loss what to do. Being against shanty Armier not only means a huge u-turn of the poor PN, but this position gives a new twist and a free hand to the current government to relinguish the accords signed by PN governments with the Armier shanty town dwellers.

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Reading PN press releases nowadays is as if you are reading a Beano or a Dandy comic. Sooooo hilarious. Twenty-six years in governme nt and the PN deprived all Maltese, expats living here and visiting tourists of the chance to enjoy the beauty and nature of the north of Malta for a petty number of votes to remain in power as long as possible. Now that the rug has been pulled from under their feet they are realizing what fools they were. But it is too late. I will never believe that there is any sinsority in what ever these bunch of PN opportunists who are still running the party, the same people who have sucked us dry for two-and-a-half decades, in what ever they say! Go away you opportunists.

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Sur Tarcisju issa nisperaw li tikkummenta fuq il ferha tal PN li qabel mad decisioni tal qorti.

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If we had the green party in parliament this things will settle dawn quicker ,and save Malta from the bullies.

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I am glad that the PN is supporting the Court Decision now (needless to say to egg Government to oppose and then jump on the band wagon calling foul) but it was the PN in the first place who created this massive corruption for the sake of votes. Claudio Grech should ask his previous boss, AG or should I say AUST to define what corruption means and then decide why GONZI had promised the Armier Squatters to regularize their position and authorized the installation of essential services (water and electricity) to these illegal structures.

Priscilla Darmenia •

The PN are now in favour of the removal of the illegal buildings. I thought that before the election the GonziPN were in favour to find a solution to keep these buildings and have a status quo situation sine die.

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WHAT IS THE PN HAPPY ABOUT? 12 BOAT HOUSES ONLY!! WHY NOT THE REST OF THE ILLEGAL BOAT HOUSES, OVER 20 YEARS IN POWER AND THEY MANAGED TO DISPOSE OF 12 BOAT HOUSES. CONTRACTORS BEING TAKEN TO COURT FOR JUST MINOR MISTAKES ON CONSTRUCTION SITES AND HEAVELY FINED AND YET THE PEOPLE THAT BUILD THESE ILLEGAL BOAT HOUSES GET AWAY WITH MURDER. HOW CAN A COUNTRY HAVE A PLANNING AUTHORITY THAT INSTITUTES PLANS AND IDEAS TO HAVE BETER AND CLEANER HOUSING WHEN A GOOD MAJORITY OF THE MALTESE PEOPLE ILEGALLY TAKE LAND THAT IS NOT THEIRS AND BUILD PROPERTIES JUST A FEW FEET AWAY FROM THE SEA AND ALSO OBTAIN AN ELECTRICITY AND WATER METER.SO WHO IS REALY THE CRIMINAL?

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This is rich. They created the whole mess. Now they want Labour to clear things up. Realy pathetic.

maria aquilina •

Whatever and whoever and whenever the land occupied is public and so mine too. I WANT IT BACK OR PAID FOR AT THE GOING RATE....YOU CORRUPT PEOPLE!!