Call for valley to be spared

The Save Wied Garnaw Action Group has called upon the Development Control Commission to uphold its original decision and once again refuse the application to construct a waste separation plant in the heart of Wied Garnaw, the valley between Sta Lucija and Gudja.

The DCC, which forms part of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, will reconsider the application today. This application was originally submitted about two years ago and refused by the DCC in August last year. The action group noted with satisfaction that Mepa's case study report recommends that the DCC should dismiss this application.

According to the Structure Plan, no such development should take place in Wied Garnaw since this valley falls outside the development zone and the draft Malta South Local Plan classifies it as a "valley protection zone" because of its agricultural and ecological value, the group said.

In the summer of 2004, the group had presented a petition signed by about 4,000 people calling upon Mepa to refuse industrial and commercial applications proposed for the valley. Another petition with about 6,000 signatories was presented in Parliament by MP Karl Chircop.

The action group said it fully supports waste-sorting initiatives but points out that such activities should not be sited in green areas, especially when space is available in various industrial estates.