Usurpation of Lebanese coastal public property, 5 million m2 : When will the state recover them ?

How are coastal public properties defined and what is the status of their occupancy today ?

Defining coastal public properties

Public properties are defined in Decision 144/D, which was issued by the High Commissioner of the Republic of France to Syria, Greater Lebanon, the Alawis and the Mountain of the Druze on June 10, 1925 and consists of four chapters including 26 articles.

According to article 1, «Public properties in Greater Lebanon and the State of Alawis comprise all things intended, owing to their nature, to be used by everyone or to serve a public interest. They cannot be sold and no ownership over them can be acquired with time».

Article 2 stipulates that «Public properties include :

• The seaside, up to the farthest distance that waves can reach in winter in addition to sand and gravel beaches... As well as those saline lakes adjoining the sea...
• The ports, marine terminals and bays...»

As for public property occupancy, Article 14 established that the state or the municipalities may license the occupancy of their properties on a temporary, revocable and chargeable basis, particularly when the matter is associated with a certain project.

Article 17 stipulates that temporary occupancy licenses for these properties may be granted for a period of one year only and may be renewed by tacit consent. Said licenses may be revoked upon the first request of the state without compensation.

Occupancy of coastal public properties

Decree no. 4810, which was issued on June 24, 1966 under the presidential term of Charles Helou and the government headed by Abdullah Yafi, established the regulations of seaside property occupancy as follows :

• Coastal public property shall remain at the disposal of the public and no right, in favor of anyone, shall be derived from it authorizing its closure for a personal or private interest.

Allowing the designation of part of the beach for the use of individuals or groups and limiting this usufruct to them shall be an exception that may only be implemented in special cases under the following general grounds :

General grounds imposed where exploitation of the seaside is approved :

• The intended project must bear a public aspect and must have justifications for tourism or industry according to the licenses issued by the relevant authorities (Higher Council for Urban Planning).

• The requested investment should not prevent the integrity of the beach in cases where there are areas that must remain accessible to the public.

• Permanent facilities may not be erected on coastal public property except for those relating to sporting and organizational equipment and the associated ancillaries that must be found near the beach, provided that the Ground Exploitation Coefficient of said equipment is no more than 5% and the building rises no more than 6 meters in height, with a maximum Total Exploitation Coefficient of 0.075%.

• Depending on its intended use, the project should be established in the zones classified for tourism/hotels or industry, in accordance with the regulations governing Lebanese beaches. The maps annexed with Decree no. 4809 dated June 24, 1966 are considered part and parcel of this Decree.)

• The exploitation of coastal public property for industrial projects is not permissible except in the zones designated for this purpose and which, in their nature, require exploitation of coastal public properties. The exploitation shall be limited to the surface area necessary for the facilities bound to reach seawater, within the percentages specified above.

• The suggested project should observe technicalities and justifications showing the areas designated for each kind of sports, the proportion of surface area covered by the swimmers’ locker rooms, free spaces on private properties as well as the free spaces for each person. The project should also observe traffic flow, the parking lots designated for clients and other equipment and proportions, all within the rates determined by the administration.

• The license seeker should own a property neighboring the coastal public area he wishes to occupy. Public roads and railroads shall not be considered a separator between private properties and coastal public properties in cases where the relevant authority authorizes the crossing of said roads or railroads through a tunnel or a bridge.

The coastal public area intended for occupation should be, at best, twice as big as the private adjacent property and its facade should not be greater than that of the adjacent property. However, pursuant to Decree no. 7464 dated October 30, 1995, the following amendment was added :

• By virtue of a decree issued in the Cabinet upon the proposition of the Minister of Public Works and Transport, the water surface area intended for occupation may be increased beyond the permissible rate, provided that the property area is no less than 20,000 square meters and the license is granted for a first-class tourist project.

• If there is a public road leading to the sea, the coastal public property stretching along 50 meters from road axis may not be occupied and this space must remain for the public.

Current status of the occupied areas

Pursuant to the aforementioned legal texts, the occupied areas of the coastal public property may be divided into five sections totaling combined (water surface + reclaimed area) 4,901,726 m2 of which 2,365,938 m2 or roughly 48% are licensed. The remaining 2,535,788 m2 or 52% are illegal and unlicensed as illustrated in tables 1 and 2.

1. Occupancies legalized by official decrees
2. Occupancies legalized by official decrees but the ccupants have overstepped their occupancy permits
3. Illegal occupancies by occupants with a private adjacent property conforming to legal requirements
4. Illegal occupancies by occupants who do own a private adjacent property but non-conforming to legal requirements
5. Illegal occupancies by occupants who do not own any private adjacent property.

Licensed and legalized occupancies of coastal public property - Table 1

Mohafazah	No of Decrees	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Mount Lebanon	33	716,512	472,051	43,139	1,188,563
Northern Lebanon	26	572,550	367,342	36,426	939,892
Southern Lebanon	5	146,088	0	10,584	146,088
Beirut	9	80,065	11,330	9,004	91,395
Total	73	1,515,215	850,723	99,153	2,365,938

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

Illegal occupancies of coastal public property - Table 2

Mohafazah	No of Decrees	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Mount Lebanon	390	935,195	124,126	119,244	1,059,321
Northern Lebanon	281	766,550	216,975	52,941	983,525
Southern Lebanon	367	468,933	40	126,158	468,973
Beirut	30	23,569	400	7,772	23,969
Total	1,068	2,194,247	341,541	306,115	2,535,788

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

1. Occupancy legalized by official decrees

The Lebanese government issued 73 decrees licensing the occupancy of coastal public properties totaling 2,365,938 m2, including 1,515,215 m2 of reclaimed areas and a water body of 850,723 m2, distributed as illustrated in Table 3 :

Decrees licensing coastal public property occupancies - Table 3

Mohafazah	No of Decrees	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Mount Lebanon	33	716,512	472,051	43,139	1,188,563
Northern Lebanon	26	572,550	367,342	36,426	939,892
Southern Lebanon	5	146,088	0	10,584	146,088
Beirut	9	80,065	11,330	9,004	91,395
Total	73	1,515,215	850,723	99,153	2,365,938

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

The largest license in terms of occupied surface area was granted to Sté Huiles et Dérivés SAL in Selaata at 207,000􏰁􏰰􏰱􏰳􏰘􏰱􏰱􏰱􏰁 m2, followed by the Development of Lebanese Shores Company in Kfar Aabida, Batroun at 199,000 m2 as illustrated in Table 4.

The largest license in terms of occupied surface area - Table 4

Real estate zone	Qada’a	Occupier	Area of the adjacent private property (m2)	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Selaata	Batroun	Sté Huiles et Dérivés SAL 􏰁and Middle East Fodder Co.	206,614	106,500	100,500	7,985	207,000
Kfar Aabida	Batroun	Development of Lebanese Shores Company	51,843	179,933	19,093	1,567	199,026
Jiyeh	Chouf	Ciment de Sibleen SAL	-	100,000	50,000	153	150,000
Sarba	Keserwan	ATCL	-	60,530	39,330	7,090	99,860
Choueifat	Aley	Emirati-Lebanese Investment Company	40,864	79,413	2,315	6130	81,728
Borj Hammoud	Matn	Shell Company	79,889	49,086	22,914	3,600	72,000
Halate	Jbeil	Real Estate Development Company	30,000	38,000	22,000	1,760	60,000
Ras Masqa	Koura	Palma Touristic Company	24,431	41,100	18,040	4,435	59,140
Dbayeh	Matn	Leisure Hill SAL	29,413	58,825	-	-	58,825
Baouchriyeh	Matn	MEDCO	-	13,000	39,600	2,592	52,600
Choueifat	Aley	Abdul Latif Ibrahim Mdawwar	49,910	37,050	13,000	3,118	50,050
Chiyah	Baabda	General Company for Tourist Projects	21,421	30,950	11,860	2,350	42,810
Wata Slam	Keserwan	Real Estate Company for Tourist Facilities	37,085	28,800	13,900	3,180	42,700
Beirut	Beirut	Maryland Tourism Projects Co. (Movenpick)	22,048	32,320	10,080	3,180	42,400
Heri	Batroun	Florida Touristic Co.	19,458	17,090	21,826	967	38,916
Zouq Mosbeh	Keserwan	Nahr al-Kalb Tourist Center Company	21,736	16,075	14,530	841	30,605

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

2. Occupants overstepping their occupancy permits

Of the 73 entities and individuals who have obtained licenses to occupy coastal public properties, 20 have overstepped the area established in their occupancy permits (2.3 million m2􏰛􏰋) by roughly 232,000 m2 as illustrated in Table 5.

Encroachments on coastal public properties by licensed occupants - Table 5

Mohafazah	No. of encroachments	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Mount Lebanon	12	114,177	15,791	30,361	129,968
Northern Lebanon	5	89,705	6,510	4,000	96,215
Beirut	3	6,499	0	3,216	6,499
Total	20	210,381	22,301	37,577	232,682

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

The largest transgression was made by the Sté Huiles et Dérivés SAL in Selaata, which encroached upon 41,000 m2 followed by Las Salinas in Enfeh at 27,000 m2 as illustrated in Table 6.

Violations by occupants who have overstepped their occupancy permits - Table 6

Region	Qada’a	Occupant	Area of the adjacent private property (m2)	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Selaata	Batroun	Sté Huiles et Dérivés SAL	55,664	40,800	-	-	40,800
Enfeh	Koura	Las Salinas	9,424	23,000	4,370	4,000	27,370
Zouk Mosbeh	Keserwan	Nahr al-Kalb Tourist Center Company	15,293	14,174	5,017	-	19,191
Naameh	Chouf	Family Beach Resort	3,940	15,472	3,614	2,200	19,086
Selaata	Batroun	Lebanon Chemicals Co	79,773	19,000	-	-	19,000
Wata Aamaret Chalhoub	Matn	Gas Orient SAL	7,167	16,759	-	1,704	16,759
Sarba	Keserwan	The Yacht Club	-	6,951	7,160	4,508	14,111
Wata Slam	Keserwan	Tabarja Beach	66,469	12,948	-	19,844	12,948

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

3. Encroachments by occupants with a private adjacent property conforming to legal requirements

These kinds of violations are reconcilable because they are committed by occupants who own neighboring plots of land that fulfill the legal requirements established in Decree 4810. These encroachments total 26 and cover an area of 119,272 m2 as illustrated in Table 7.

Encroachments by occupants who own private adjacent properties conforming to legal requirements - Table 7

Mohafazah	No. of encroachments	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Northern Lebanon	11	50,080	7,560	1,758	57,640
Mount Lebanon	8	44,120	11,280	1,232	55,400
Southern Lebanon	7	6,232	0	500	6,232
Beirut	0	0	0	0	0
Total	26	100,432	18,840	3,490	119,272

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

Foremost among these encroachments are the intrusions made by Solemar beach resort in Zouk Mkayel and by Marina Del Sol resort in Koura as illustrated in Table 8.

Most notable violations on coastal public properties by occupants who own private adjacent properties conforming to legal requirements - Table 8

Real estate zone	Qada’a	Occupier	Area of the adjacent private property (m2)	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Zouk Mkayel	Keserwan	Solemar	21,365	23,180	2,800	315	25,980
Hraicheh	Koura	Marina Del Sol	14,606	16,700	6,400	100	23,100
Ras Masqa	Koura	Commercial real estate company	10,600	14,340	1,160	-	15,500
Qalamoun	Tripoli	Mohammad and Abdul Ghani Qunaiter	9,960	14,000	-	-	14,000
Choueifat	Aley	Ramez Abdul Halim Qassem Saab	12,395	3,744	8,480	-	12,224
Aamaret Chalhoub	Matn	Jean Yared’s Company	11,377	8,910	-	-	8,910

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

4. Encroachments by occupants with a private adjacent property non-conforming to legal requirements

These encroachments were committed by occupants who possess neighboring plots of land, but these plots do not meet the legal requirements stipulated in Decree 4810. The number of this kind of intrusions is 431 covering an area of roughly 1.5 million m2 as illustrated in Table 9.

Encroachments by occupants who own private adjacent properties non-conforming to legal requirements - Table 9

Mohafazah	No. of encroachments	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Mount Lebanon	217	627,354	96,635	66,082	723,989
Northern Lebanon	116	422,627	191,105	23,469	613,732
Southern Lebanon	84	212,762	0	3,535	212,762
Beirut	14	13,780	400	3,416	14,180
Total	431	1,276,523	288,140	96,502	1,564,663

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

In terms of surface area, the greatest intrusion was made by North Marina Company in Ras Masqa, which occupies 123,000 m2 as illustrated in Table 10.

Encroachments by occupants who own private adjacent properties non-conforming to legal requirements - Table 10

Real estate zone	Qada’a	Occupier	Area of the adjacent private property (m2)	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Ras Masqa	Koura	North Marina	4,714	75,400	47,600	1,700	123,000
Qalamoun	Tripoli	Nasr Miramar Touristic Co.	20,424	53,400	42,600	2,500	96,000
Saida	Saida	Ali Al-Jammal	100,763	68,400	-	-	68,400
Ras Masqa	Koura	The Najis	6,900	26,620	30,880	275	57,500
Qalamoun	Tripoli	North Tourist Enterprise	9,584	31,260	15,440	470	46,700
Zouk Mosbeh	Keserwan	Al-Remal Resort	13,227	27,905	15,384	2,430	43,289
Choueifat	Aley	Costa Brava	9,580	23,960	15,950	4,570	39,910
Zouk Mkayel	Keserwan	Samaya Beach Resort	13,645	35,320	2,135	506	37,455
Sarba	Keserwan	Portemilio	28,374	27,419	5,280	2,370	32,699
Qalamoun	Tripoli	North Heaven Club	3,856	18,764	10,236	216	29,000
Qalamoun	Tripoli	Neptune Tourist Enterprise	853	27,000	-	-	27,000
Damour	Chouf	Al-Jisr Beach	83,839	26,144	-	-	26,144
Ras Masqa	Koura	The Ghandours	5,870	21,100	-	860	21,100
Saida	Saida	Political leader	41,112	20,100	-	-	20,100
Ras Masqa	Koura	Mona Maasarani	3,640	14,860	4,400	875	19,260
Choueifat	Aley	Villamar	6,772	11,156	8,000	1,450	19,156
Antelias	Matn	Nadim, Chafik and Antoine Qassis	5,625	18,437	-	9,652	18,437
Choueifat	Aley	Said Fakhri and Salim Kanj	22,165	13,837	3,331	50	17,168
Qalamoun	Tripoli	Kamil Mrad	1,134	12,800	3,600	-	16,400
Ras Masqa	Koura	The Haddads	3,831	4,730	10,720	1,000	15,450
Bourj	Matn	Homsi and Partners	9,798	15,168	-	-	15,168
Aaqaybeh	Keserwan	Waqf of Mar Doumit Monastery	24,942	14,310	-	1,874	14,310
Enfeh	Koura	General Company for Fuels	4,324	14,240	-	1,900	14,240
Safra	Keserwan	Rabieh Hotek Company	20,844	14,227	-	3,252	14,227
Jadra	Chouf	Orass	415	14,180	-	1,206	14,180
Chiyah	Baabda	Summerland	19,961	11,824	2,350	1,950	14,174
Batroun	Batroun	Khalil Frangieh and Sayed Aziza	3,104	7,951	5,320	2,019	13,271
Jadra	Chouf	Sands Rock	555	11,183	1,942	83	13,125
Ghazir	Keserwan	Michel Nicolas Zreiq	2,915	4,091	7,750	440	11,841
Choueifat	Aley	Mohammad Khalil Mezher	1,242	11,725	-	325	11,725
Damour	Chouf	Summer Beach	3,661	11,544	-	-	11,544
Mastita	Jbeil	Four Season Beach	4,320	10,820	-	414	10,820
Aabbassiyeh	Tyre	The Dahers	116,720	10,800	-	-	10,800
Haret Sakhr	Keserwan	Anefco	2,745	10,065	473	-	10,558
Batroun	Batroun	Aqua Land	7,236	9,640	709	168	10,349
Chiyah	Baabda	Coral Beach	7,700	7,559	2,350	1,795	9,909
Chekka	Batroun	Assad Boulos	118	8,150	1,450	1,150	9,600
Haret Sakhr	Keserwan	Sheikh Khalil Khoury	1,498	6,525	2,943	370	9,468
Haret Sakhr	Keserwan	Rashid Khazen	4,681	5,748	4,000	500	9,748
Haret Sakhr	Keserwan	Toufik Bitar	1,804	7,298	1,997	-	9,295
Jadra	Chouf	Family Beach	45,336	8,700	-	-	8,700
Mdawwar	Beirut	Al-Jerji Saad	5,836	8,632	-	-	8,632
Jiyeh	Chouf	Ali and Ahmad Kejouk	20,370	3,596	4,715	-	8,311
Saida	Saida	The Zaataris	124,969	8,300	-	-	8,300
Mastita	Jbeil	Albert Helo and Charbel Zoughaib	46,478	8,270	-	2,100	8,270
Aadloun	Saida	Mostafa Nahouli Sons	107,709	8,185	-	-	8,185
Safra	Keserwan	Safra Marine	9,804	7,935	-	2,439	7,935
Jadra	Chouf	Mina Beach	448	5,386	2,096	136	7,482
Mastita	Jbeil	Sea Flow Beach	46,478	6,450	-	1,083	6,450
Zouq Mosbeh	Keserwan	Masaken El-Bahr	11,778	5,576	-	-	5,576
Jiyeh	Chouf	Bellevue Beach	1,148	4,069	-	-	4,069
Choueifat	Aley	Lebanon Beach	5,230	3,040	1,000	340	4,040

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

5. Encroachments on both public and private property

These encroachments were made by people who do not own any private properties close to the coastal public areas they are occupying, which is considered a serious transgression against both public and private properties. These encroachments totaled 530 covering a total area of roughly 615,000 m2 as illustrated in Table 11.

Encroachments made by occupants who do not own an adjacent property - Table 11

Mohafazah	No. of encroachments	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Southern Lebanon	221	245,801	40	111,078	245,841
Northern Lebanon	145	204,138	11,800	23,714	215,938
Mount Lebanon	151	149,258	420	21,479	149,678
Beirut	13	3,290	0	1,140	3,290
Total	530	602,487	12,260	157,411	614,747

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

Largest among these encroachments is the intrusion made by a company in Dbayeh into roughly 54,000 m2 for a tourist project. another 58,000 m2 are encroached upon by an agriculture project in Tyre as illustrated in Table 12.

Encroachments made by occupants who do not own an adjacent property - Table 12

Real estate zone	Qada’a	Occupant	Reclaimed area (m2)	Water surface (m2)	Facilities (m2)	Total (m2)
Mhalbeb	Tyre	Hassan Ezzedine	58,488	-	-	58,488
Dbayeh	Matn	-	54,295	-	1,200	54,295
Aabbassiyeh	Tyre	Jal El-Bahr Camp	53,040	-	53,040	53,040
Tripoli	Tripoli	Ahmad Tlais	38,975	-	-	38,975
Jiyeh	Chouf	United Group for Industry and Trade	37,500	-	1,250	37,500
Mina	Tripoli	Ahmad Kheir	18,700	-	-	18,700
Qalamoun	Tripoli	Samir Hakim	12,100	2,200	1,200	14,300
Bissariyeh	Saida	Fouad Khalifeh	13,220	-	224	13,220
Tripoli	Tripoli	Abdullah Ghandour	12,812	-	-	12,812
Sarafand	Saida	Hussein Faqeeh	12,570	-	2,695	12,570
Heri	Batroun	Antar Saliba and Philip Yammine	10,850	-	1,810	10,850
Hamat	Batroun	Romeo Frangieh	10,800	-	1,540	10,800
Minieh	Minieh	The Tabous	10,800	-	-	10,800
Minieh	Minieh	Khaled Kheir	10,500	-	-	10,500
Borj Hammoud	Matn	Estfan Institution	9,605	-	-	9,605
Hamat	Batroun	Jerji and Atiyya Merheb	9,300	-	300	9,300
Hamat	Batroun	Samir Frangieh	8,700	-	1,160	8,700
Hamat	Batroun	Boutros Morqus Frangieh	4,640	4,000	670	8,640
Choueifat	Aley	Ali Mawla	8,034	420	64	8,454
Hamat	Batroun	Nassim Daher	4,200	4,000	1,300	8,200
Tripoli	Tripoli	Riad Massoud	7,754	-	482	7,754
Heri	Batroun	Binyamin Kheir and Tony Frangieh	5,320	1,600	1,900	6,920
Zouq Bhannine	Minieh	Hassan Deeb	6,850	-	-	6,850
Dekerman	Saida	Mostafa Hariri	6,460	-	4,660	6,460
Dekerman	Saida	Mahmoud Chamseddine	5,430	-	1,800	5,430
Bissariyeh	Saida	Mostafa Saad and Ansari	5,210	-	250	5,210
Wastani	Saida	Violation against plot 375	4,600	-	940	4,600
Hamat	Batroun	Michel Najm and Simon Frangieh	4,200	-	500	4,200
Chiyah	Baabda	The Hrajlis	3,730	-	1,450	3,730
Choueifat	Aley	-	2,880	-	80	2,880
Sarafand	Saida	Hussein Khalifeh	2,650	-	-	2,650
Wata Slam	Keserwan	Violation against plot 59	2,610	-	85	2,610
Ain Mreisseh	Beirut	Palace Cafe	2,500	-	700	2,500
Aadloun	Saida	Abbas Tahhan	2,400	-	900	2,400
Sarafand	Saida	Mohammad Kalifeh	2,210	-	156	2,210
Chiyah	Baabda	Brigadier General Abdullah	2,090	-	110	2,090
Tahouitat El Ghadir	Baabda	Ismail Hassan	1,980	-	780	1,980
Chiyah	Baabda	The Khafajas	1,750	-	1,750	1,750
Tahouitat El Ghadir	Baabda	Ali Shaaban	1,550	-	300	1,550
Chiyah	Baabda	Consumer Cooperative Association	1,915	-	1,415	1,415
Chiyah	Baabda	Youssef Haraki	1,270	-	790	1,270
Sarafand	Saida	Khalil Chahrour	1,070	-	130	1,070
Aamchit	Jbeil	Mikhael Romanos	992	-	90	992

Sources : The Monthly, Information International SAL Issue 158, Ministry of Public Works and Transport

NB: The names mentioned in the tables above are by no means intended to offend the occupants and are faithfully cited as reported by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

Revenues

The occupancy of these large beachfront properties, whether licensed or not, fails to bring in the revenues commensurate with the value of the occupied areas, either because of the failure to collect fees from illegal occupants or because the occupancy fees imposed on legal ones are too low. The latter seems rational for many find it absurd that they should pay the state lavish amounts while unlicensed occupants refrain from paying and await a new law that would regularize and resolve their status. Some estimates put the revenues expected from the settlement at USD 500 million and others at roughly USD 5 billion,which brings the figure to an average of USD 1 billion to USDUSD 2 billion. The law has been awaited for more than 25 years (since the end oft the Civil War) and it is unlikely that it will see the light in the coming years because the encroachers are mostly men of power or people backed by men of power.

The 2015 draft budget law made no mention of any revenues from the occupancy of coastal properties. However, according to figures from previous draft budget laws, the average expected revenues amounted to roughly LBP 20 billion, while actual revenues did not exceed LBP 1 billion to LBP 2 billion annually.

While the state goes out of its way to impose new taxes or increase existing ones to cover the growing expenses, roughly 5 million m2 of coastal public properties remain usurped by a class influential politicians to the detriment of the Treasury and the citizens. In its decision dated 18/12/2014 into the case brought by Sultana Fringier against the Interior Ministry and the Naoura Real Estate Company, the Shura Council emphasized «that the administrative and judicial sanctions shall be made without prejudice to the right of the administration to claim compensation for damage and bring down the works set up on illegal properties or easement areas automatically and without the need for a transaction.»