Unsafe coastal caves won’t be blocked off

A planning application filed by the Works and Services Department to seal off a number of dangerous protected coastal caves with rubble walls has been turned down because it would affect the area’s “aesthetic integrity”. The rubble walls would stop the public from entering the caves at Dawret il-Ġzejjer, St Paul’s Bay, as these are on the verge of collapsing, the planning application argued. However, a planning commission turned down the request. Members of the Environment Protection Directorate carried out a site visit and pointed out that, while closing it off with rubble walls would remove the danger, “it recommends a less radical approach that still honours the site’s aesthetic integrity” and would not create a precedent for other structures. The caves stretch along around 53 metres and, over the years, were eaten away by the waves creating an overhang around three metres deep. A number of these are unstable and dangerous and, by removing a few perilous rock stacks, can be made safe by underpinning them, according to the project architect. However, the case officer pointed out that the area was of high landscape value and the application did not fall in line with planning...