Mepa decisions 'should have been reformed'

Nature Trust Malta has expressed its concern over the timing of recent planning authority decisions on the power station and Freeport extension.

The NGO pointed out that the authority was considering megaprojects on the eve of a reform that was meant to make it more streamlined and transparent.

If the authorities really believed in the reform and sustainable development, and wanted to get the public to believe that there is goodwill to really improve the planning authority, such decisions should have been postponed until the reform was in place in a few months' time, Nature Trust said.

It did acknowledge the importance of the Freeport extension as an economic decision, as well as the need to secure the energy supply. However, the timing of the decisions was not right and in the case of such mega projects, studies should be carried out before approval, it insisted.

The NGO pointed out that a lot of damage had already been done to the port of Marsaxlokk over the years, first with the development of the Delimara power station and then through the Malta Freeport.

It said the marine ecology was now a disaster, with dredging by the Freeport, the hot effluent from the power station and the tuna industry having degraded the area completely.