Lands Authority says Regatta Club

occupied warehouse space

‘without permission’
Monday, 10 April 2023, 14:11Last update: about 3 hours ago

The Lands Authority has said that it will be taking back a warehouse space located
next to the storehouse in Valletta that they say was occupied without permission by
the Birzebbuga Regatta Club.

The club has made claims that the government has reneged on an informal
agreement to allow them the use of two warehouses in Valletta, warehouses 36 and
37.

The government is claiming that an agreement was only reached in relation the
former warehouse, but not the latter.
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The Lands Authority on Monday issued a statement saying that “the storehouse that
was rented to the club by the Authority [warehouse 36] will remain with the club,”
but “the Authority will be taking back a space located next to the storehouse
[warehouse 37] that was occupied without permission.”

“No rental fee was being paid on this site, and there was no title to it,” the authority
said.
“The club had been informed that this encroachment from the unauthorized space
needed to be cleared,” he added.

“Officials from the Authority inspected the site, and it was found that the club's
boats were stored in a small 200-square-meter storehouse that will continue to be
rented to them,” said the authority.

The club is resisting demands to vacate warehouse 37, located in Valletta, which it
uses to store boats so that it can be handed over for an “investment opportunity.”

Speaking to The Malta Independent, Ian Farrugia, the president of the club, opened
up about their ongoing struggles with securing proper facilities for the storage of
their wares.

Farrugia said that on October 31, 2022, Lands official Antvin Monseigneur informed
him that the club needed to vacate Warehouse 37, claiming it “had entered the
premises as squatters.”

“But this is not the case as we were explicitly given the keys to the premises by the
authorities,” Farrugia said.

I sent a message to the Prime Minister, who replied by saying that there were no
more solutions available; but to this I suggested coming together to have a
discussion to try to find a solution face to face. I was ignored,” Farrugia said.

“The Office of the Prime Minister got in touch with me again and offered an
extension until April 16 to vacate the premises,” Farrugia said.

“In speaking with the previous Lands Authority administration, they managed to
confirm my version of events, that which I’ve been explaining up till now,” he
continued.

“So now we’ve reached the stage where we need to vacate warehouse 37 but the
boats can’t be placed in warehouse 36 because they don’t all fit,” Farrugia said.