Coast Road: old stretch to be restored to ‘natural state’

Transport Malta will be issuing a tender for works to return a redundant stretch of coast road to its “original state”.

The stretch of old coast road was left redundant after the completion of the coast road widening project and the re-alignment of the road in Bahar ic-Caghaq.  

This area has already attracted a planning application for the development of a private beach and car park.

But in reply to questions sent by MaltaToday a spokesperson for Transport Malta revealed that the authority will be issuing a tender through which the area will be rendered as close to its natural state as possible by removing asphalt and other modern granular material in line with requirements set by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. 

According to the TM spokesperson the new road was designed in line with MEPA permits with the aim of reaching higher and safer standards.  The realignment of this stretch of coast road was approved by MEPA in 2012.

“Cars can now take a safer turn along this stretch of road,” the TM spokesperson said. 

The TM decision to issue a tender for the restoration of the area to its natural state contrasts with an application presented by a private developer in January which included plans for a huge car park for 346 vehicles – over two levels on both sides of the roundabout, that lies on disturbed land facing the sea. Beach facilities included two five-metre-high gazebos on top of the parking area.

The area has also attracted an application for a petrol station and two kiosks located opposite the new roundabout.

Plans for a parking area on another redundant stretch of coast road were approved by MEPA in 2015 on the southern flank of the Sukkursu channel which had been rendered redundant by a road diversion at il-Gonna tal-Barbier. The original permit issued in 2012 had specified that the stretch of old road had to be scarified from asphalt but this condition was changed.