Ħondoq Bay’s illegal occupiers fined €2 a day as enforcement ignored

Illegal concrete boulders blocking access at Ħondoq ir-Rummien remain in place almost a month after they were dumped at one of Gozo’s most environmentally sensitive bays, despite a Planning Authority enforcement order demanding their removal.

The case has become the latest example of what many describe as the collapse of planning enforcement across Malta, particularly in Gozo, where illegalities are routinely tolerated while authorities hesitate to take decisive action.

Although the Planning Authority formally declared the concrete barriers illegal and ordered their immediate removal, the contraveners, who claim ownership of the site, have ignored the notice with no apparent consequences beyond an administrative fine of just €2 per day.

So far, no direct enforcement action has been taken to clear the site, despite the PA being legally empowered to intervene.

The boulders, placed close to the coastline and public access areas at Ħondoq ir-Rummien, triggered widespread outrage among residents, environmental activists and regular visitors to the bay, which has long been at the centre of battles against overdevelopment and privatisation attempts.

Planning Authority records confirm that the structures were installed without the required permits and that the owners were ordered to restorenforcemente the site to its original state.

Yet weeks later, the illegal obstructions remain untouched as the summer bathing season gets underway.

Labour Qala Mayor Paul Buttigieg, a longstanding campaigner against speculative development at Ħondoq, has publicly urged the authorities to intervene immediately and remove the barriers before the bay becomes busier in the coming weeks.

So far, his appeals have been ignored.

Questions are now being raised about the political responsibility for the Planning Authority’s inaction.

The authority falls under the remit of Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, who is currently focused on campaigning ahead of his expected return to Parliament and appears unwilling to risk alienating voters.

Qala residents who spoke to The Shift described the enforcement response as “embarrassing” and “effectively meaningless”.

“The public is expected to comply immediately with planning laws, but when illegal structures appear in one of Gozo’s most protected bays, the authorities issue a €2 daily fine and do nothing else,” one resident said.

The latest controversy has reignited concerns about selective enforcement and the growing perception that planning rules in Gozo no longer apply equally to everyone.

Ħondoq ir-Rummien has been the focus of a decades-long environmental struggle after major tourism and marina projects were repeatedly proposed for the area before being withdrawn following sustained public opposition.

The bay later received stronger environmental protection due to its ecological importance and sensitive marine habitats. Yet despite these protections, the authorities still appear unable, or unwilling, to remove a handful of illegal concrete boulders.