Ghadira caravan owners given five-year lease

The government has issued a scheme for the lease of the Għadira Bay rooms and caravans in Mellieha for existing lease holders or occupiers.

Lease holders or occupiers of rooms or caravans situated within the site have to apply for a five-year lease.

The participation in the scheme shall be obligatory, and the term of lease will be of five years starting 1 January 2015, at a fixed rent of €500 per annum.

Where the current annual rent being paid by an applicant exceeds €500, the applicable rent shall be reduced to €500;

On expiry of the five-year term period, the tenant shall have the option of renewal of the lease agreement on the same conditions of the original lease, with the exception of the rent, which shall be increased in accordance with an ad hoc valuation to be carried out by a government appointed architect at the time of renewal. Any increase shall not be less than that reflected in the index of inflation.

The renewal will be at the sole discretion of the Commissioner of Land.

Lessees shall keep the structure in a good state of repair and shall effect any necessary repairs and maintenance, including structural maintenance, if the need arises, as well as all other repair and maintenance which according to law, are to be carried out by the lessee.

Subletting or the assignment of the structure in any form is strictly prohibited.

Clearing of caravan site opposition green Ghadira huts

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has slapped an enforcement order and imposed daily fines on the government over an illegal car park in Ghadira, Mellieha opposite the green boathouses in the bay area.

Caravans made illegal use of the site until the previous government removed them from the area, following an enforcement order issued by MEPA.

In 2005, an enforcement order was issued against the parking of caravans. The structures were removed in 2010. The latest enforcement order was issued against the Commissioner of Lands with regard to the use of parking.

Last year a planning application was presented to develop a seven-storey hotel on the same site. The application has not yet been validated by the MEPA.

The application, presented by Anthony Curmi in December, foresees the demolition of the existing Costa del Sol restaurant and the construction of a hotel, beach bar, an underground car park and new residential units.

Curmi had presented an application to develop a 260-room four-star hotel on the same site in 1994, which was rejected in 1997 due to its impact on the landscape.