After a tug of war lasting years between Qala mayor Paul Buttigieg and a group of developers, the Ħondoq ir-Rummien saga has now seen a more welcome type of development. Following a decision by the appeals court last year, the government is moving to change the local plan for the area to preserve one of Gozo’s most scenic spots.

Labour had pledged to save Ħondoq in its electoral manifesto and this is a rare event in which the government is following up on its promises. Credit for this goes to Buttigieg, who hung on not just to his seat but to his mission, facing countless obstacles throughout the tortuous path to victory.

The Planning Authority is proposing the reafforestation of a disused quarry nearby, in a bid to attract wildlife and recreate habitats; the area will not be made accessible to vehicles and will include public paths where possible. Moreover, no new additional beach facilities will be allowed and the policy also talks of excluding the intensification of commercial activity in the area.

The swimmers’ zone will be reserved exclusively for swimmers without any other activities being permitted and – counter to what is being proposed elsewhere – no berthing facilities of any sort will be permitted near the shoreline and swimming zones.

On paper, and despite pressures from the landowners (who revised the price tag from €18m to €24m), the proposed reform of Ħondoq could serve as a blueprint for the preservation of many other seaside areas.

In fact, the government could be delivering better on its promise of new open spaces simply by restricting commercial encroachment on existing spaces, instead of throwing millions at infrastructural projects which only feature a few sparse pieces of shrubbery.

It remains to be seen whether and how the proposed policy will be carried out.

Planning Minister Clint Camilleri, formerly mayor of Qala and also Buttigieg’s former rival, will face a litmus test in ensuring that Ħondoq is truly preserved; his handling of the Comino saga leaves much to be desired and, in fact, he has yet to pronounce himself on Hili’s plans for the takeover of the third island.

It is also telling that Labour has moved to change the local plans for Ħondoq, sensing discontent in Gozo not only at the Ħondoq saga but also at the rampant overdevelopment across the island. In this sense, the return to the five per cent property tax regime is a measure to stave off the pressure of further construction.

There’s a key contradiction in the government’s move to preserve Ħondoq, however. Throughout last year, many ministers went on to repeat the mantra that “the local plans cannot be changed” and that “developers would be due compensation” if laws were to exclude their land from development.

This, of course, is a fib; the local plans have been changed repeatedly under subsequent Labour administrations, specifically to favour developers whose lands had been left out of the 2006 exercise; among others, Mrieħel was underhandedly designed as a high-rise zone.

Similarly, ownership of land does not imply any automatic right to develop it; the enjoyment of such land is still subject to planning and civil laws.

Why is the government not listening to an increasingly vocal opposition from its own constituencies?

In the last few months, residents of Żurrieq, Santa Luċija, Marsascala and Birżebbuġa have voiced their displeasure at the take-up of open spaces, to be faced with excuses about local plans and “developers’ rights”.

Now that the myth about local plans has been dusted, it’s up to the government to be consistent and treat our public resources with the same attention it is devoting to Ħondoq.