Social reality and local community : an empirical investigation of St. Paul's Bay and environs

Abstract

San Pawl il-Bahar has been transformed from a small village in the northern part of the island into the second largest locality we have in Malta. (in real terms I believe that this locality is the largest one because of the large number of people who live here but are registered elsewhere). This community was mainly formed of farmers and fishermen. Then, during the summer months a number of residents came over for their summer holidays from different parts of the island. When tourism increased, a number of hotels were built within the limits of San Pawl il-Bahar. This very often meant that during the summer months the population of the area increased to proportions that were considered to be excessive by the local community. In the mean time the area was passing through a process of construction (unfortunately following a building scheme that leaves much to be desired), which was changing the physical appearance of the locality. At the same time, this construction was providing a number of habitable units that would one day be inhabited. Up to a certain extent, people are now living in a locality where, on the one hand development has actually never stopped, while a good number of habitable units are still uninhabited, and more recently (as a result of the slow down in the construction industry), built up unfinished blocks have become the order of the day. This process of enlargement, both in the physical sense and in terms of population, has not come to an end. On the contrary, the trend has continued to he more pronounced. At the moment there is no indication that the increase in population will stop, at least in the near future. On the contrary there is a tendency for the population to continue to grow even further, and people are coming to the locality from all parts of the island, and from abroad. A large number of people from other European countries are taking up residence in the area. Up to fifty years ago San Pawl ii-Bahar consisted of a relatively small group of houses around the Parish Church. Then there were a number of hamlets spread around the locality. These hamlets included, Burmarrad, Bidnija, Manikata and Wardija. As things stand now, most of Bidnija has become part of Mosta, and Manikata has become part of Mellieha, in terms of the local council legislation. This implied that the physical area of San Pawl ii-Bahar has been reduced since the founding of the Local Councils in 1993. However, very much to the contrary of what happened in terms of area, the population of San Pawl ii-Bahar has increased at a very fast rate. The appearance of the locality has been totally changed. While the village has been transformed from a series of one/two storey buildings into a series of medium rise buildings, these buildings are being transformed into overpopulated apartments. The locality has now grown to the extent that there is one EU national living in San Pawl il-Bahar for every two Maltese who live here. To these Maltese and EU Nationals, another 1700 non Maltese, non-EU nationals who have a registered ID card in San Pawl il-Bahar have to be added. Besides these, another number of Maltese and foreigners who live here under one pretext or another, but who are registered elsewhere, have to be added. The area accounts for over 11,000 hotel beds 5 and close to a thousand commercial outlets which attract visitors from all over the island. These hotel beds account for the presence of thousands of temporary residents, especially during the summer months. During the summer months thousands of other Maltese from different parts of the island visit the locality for a number of months. All these factors influence the daily lives of the residents of the locality. Conflicts are a daily occurrence and those who administer the area have a duty to try and ensure that a sense of community is developed for the good of the community and the locality. In spite of all the efforts that have been made, so far social integration has not been very successful. In this study I try to find out what affects the daily life of the residents of San Pawl ii-Bahar, and possibly indicate further studies that are essential to change the present reality.