Kalanka should be restored to natural state – Din l-Art Helwa

A proposal to rebuild and extend an existing derelict structure in the Kalanka bay in Delimara has been given the thumbs-down by environmental NGO Din l-Art Helwa, which dismissed the claim that by rebuilding the “eyesore” the environment would be embellished.

Din l-Art Helwa executive president Maria Grazia Cassar insisted that it would be better to completely remove the ruins of the structure, which is now being earmarked for the construction of a small hotel.

“This is not a historical building, and the need to allow development on the foreshore for the benefit of tourism is long past,” she said. 

Cassar accepts that the Kalanka area, as well as Peter’s Pool nearby, could be made more accessible, and a minimum of services can be provided in an unobtrusive way. “But this certainly does not justify the construction of a new, larger hotel with swimming pool and other amenities as well.”

She described the area as one of high ecological importance, and a popular swimming spot where the natural beauty of the landscape can be enjoyed. “This should not be marred by any intrusion, especially of a permanent nature, and one that would require the installation of additional services and the establishment of new access roads.”

Popular TV host John Bundy has expressed a completely different opinion on the proposed development.

Writing on his Facebook page, Bundy congratulated developer Kenneth Abela for coming up to “take responsibility” to give the site the appearance it deserves. He described the derelict building as a “rubbish dump”, adding that because he loved the environment he is in favour of rebuilding the hotel.

The 17-room hotel is being proposed by Kenneth Abela, the sole shareholder of Delimara Bay Hotel Ltd, who filed the application. The company was registered under another name in May 2013 and had its name changed in February 2015.

The application foresees an increase in the height and mass of the derelict structure as well as landscaping an area around the hotel.  

The 17-room hotel will be built over a basement, ground and first floor, using rubble masonry for a rustic look. A landscaping plan foresees the use of wooden decking around a pool, grass blocks and an afforested area around the hotel. The developer said the proposal includes “environmentally friendly measures”.

Although the site remained abandoned, an application for the “reinstatement” of the existing restaurant was approved in 1994 on condition that public access to the adjacent pathways was not blocked, and no structures whatsoever are allowed higher than the existing building. The application was subsequently renewed a number of times despite the area being scheduled in 1996. 

The proposed extension is over and above the small extension foreseen in the 2001 outline permit to its former owner, Oliver Cachia, which was renewed in 2010.

Abela told MaltaToday that the project is “environmentally friendly” and that it will simply involve the re-opening of a hotel, using the same footprint of the existing building. 

He said the hotel would be energy efficient and would have a “near zero carbon footprint”. A survey of endemic plants, which will be retained, is also being carried out. 

He also insists that an outline permit already exists to raise the height of part of the hotel. “What we will be doing is increasing the height of the existing building, to that established in the permit issued in 2001.”

Kenneth Abela, who claims sole ownership of the land in question, is also a director in Aiken Ltd, whose billboards stayed put on Maltese roads after being used by the Malta Labour Party in the 2013 general election and which were subsequently used for other political, information and charity campaigns.