Gozo - land of apartment blocks, dumps and devious development schemes

On returning to Malta from every successive visit to Gozo, I feel more disillusioned than on my previous visit. The rate at which Gozo is turning from the fabled Calypso into a land of ogres of every genre is hair-raising.

Climbing to the top of the Citadel in Victoria, you get a bird's eye view of what I am alluding to. Victoria has already claimed the scalp of neighbouring Munxar and Kercem, since these have merged into one, and is now extending its rapacious tentacles in the direction of Xewkija and Sannat.

Going quickly through development applications, one caught my eye. It referred to the proposed construction of 66 flats in Ghajnsielem (PA 04319/02 ) - yes, 66 flats! MEPA believes that around 40 per cent of all buildings in Gozo are vacant, which is much higher than that on Malta, where the figure is around 25 per cent. Surely, even considering such an application is preposterous - I would fine the applicant simply for showing such cheek!

Being dubbed the Island of the Three Hills, Gozo is endowed with more than three hills. As a consequence, the island witnesses a rat-race for development along cliff edges to gain the best vantage points. One can embrace this up to a certain extent only, since in many cases such development leads to a rape of the cliff edges and to eyesore buildings being erected.

A case in point is Pjazza Assunta in Zebbug, one of the last tranquil, quaint Gozitan squares which verges high up on a promontory. Parallel to the square, a road has been opened down the first part of the cliff side to give access to a basement, all with MEPA's blessing (PA 5112/00). MEPA only issued an enforcement notice regarding minor variations to the same development, to which it had given carte blanche (Enforcement action ECF 579/03).

Zebbug residents have appealed to MEPA, claiming that this basement is in fact a garage. In its reply, MEPA refuted this claim but conceded that the back of the construction is blocked by building debris - such debris is lying on top of a cliff edge in a picturesque part of Gozo, all with MEPA's consent!

The high ground above Bingemma Valley in Nadur (along it-Telgha ta' Wistin and in the Tad-Duru area) too has become renowned for eyesore buildings sticking out of the cliff edge, exacerbating cliff erosion and detracting from the aesthetic appeal of the place.

I need not harp on the current onslaught on heritage houses in Gozo, especially at Nadur, Xaghra and Qala - airing such a pillage in foreign magazines publicising the sale of heritage houses to non-Maltese could be a good way to divulge such misdemeanours.

Why are those who should be the bulwarks of Maltese heritage, such as the concerned NGOs and authorities, keeping tight-lipped about the matter? God forbid if developers had managed to demolish the Bir Mula heritage house in Cospicua before the Arab-age remains were found in the lower levels of that property. The bottom line is that each of these heritage houses is a treasure trove of memorabilia.

A common ploy resorted to by developers is to apply for a washroom permit. This usually acts as a smokescreen since the washroom is eventually developed as yet another apartment at the highest level of the same block - hence, the washroom ends up as the most coveted apartment of all. Such a ploy is currently being used in the illegal construction of a penthouse (under the guise of a washroom) on top of an existing block along Triq ir-Ramla, Nadur (application: 03212/99).

The same road is punctuated by illegal penthouses and other structures, with the consequence that a former hub of traditional Gozitan houses has been toppled by a hub of flats and penthouses. Especially irking is that the developers are the same inner cohort of familiar faces, who has scarred other parts of Gozo.

Surely MEPA officials must be aware of the various aces up developers' sleeves, such as the washroom one? Enforcement action taken on the sister island of Malta is usually protracted and comes after a substantial time lag - this problem is even worse in the far-flung Gozitan jurisdiction.

Developers usually have ample time to start and complete their illegal structures and then applying to sanction such illegalities before MEPA is actually aware of what is happening, unless it is alerted to the development by some conscientious citizen.

Once the illegal structure is completed, MEPA finds itself in the untenable position of choosing between demolishing the structure (especially difficult when it lies on top of a five-storey block) or sanctioning it since it chose not to nip it in the bud prior to completion. This makes the need for a Gozo-based MEPA HQ even more dire.

The Qortin landfill, besides the Maghtab one, has become quite a buzzword with Gozitans having adopted it as their landfill epitome. However, most non-Gozitans are oblivious to the fact that many other makeshift landfills exist on the island of Gozo. These include one in the environs of the Ta' Gordan lighthouse, one opposite the Cornucopia Hotel in Xaghra, the now notorious one next to the Kenuna Tower in Nadur and one on the garigue of the Tal-Kus xaghra in Xewkija.

In the light of such budding dumps, what lasting embers of relevance do Gozo walks guide books, such as the ones published by the MTA, have? The damage caused by such dumps is two-pronged: aesthetic and a more subtle one whereby developers first degrade once pristine land and then apply to develop it behind the claim that they are actually embellishing the area.

Budget 2003 - much ado about nothing

Before Finance Minister John Dalli unveiled his Budget for 2004 last Monday, he invited representatives of various constituted bodies to submit their proposals; this exercise was done also for the environmental field.

With yawning environmental problems in this country, environmental proposals put forward by NGOs such as Nature Trust (Malta) were extensive, as were those included in a memorandum presented to all political parties.

These included proposals for more conservation and improved management of areas of ecological, scientific and cultural value, more sustainable use of limited and expensive resources (such as water and energy), a decrease in pollution levels, more environment-friendly transport options, the implementation of an integrated waste management scheme and stricter and more extensive enforcement levels which could be buoyed by the much elusive introduction of the green warden system.

The Budget failed to introduce cutting-edge environmental measures since it has limited itself to papering over the cracks and introducing laudable but small-scale measures. Hence, the environment has again played low fiddle in this Budget.

Positive measures announced include a fledgling eco-taxation concept, whereby a levy will be imposed on non-reusable bottles so as to spur producers to supply returnable bottles - this can be banded as the first attempt at implementing the polluter pays principle which could eventually pave the way for environmentally conscious firms to gain the upper hand over polluting ones.

The accent was again placed on afforestation plans, on bolstering the fund allocated to MEPA's Environment Directorate and on auditing of the expenditure of environmental funds.

Another step which could prove to be very positive after thorough perusal is the taxation of property transfers - this could potentially water down the momentum behind rife speculation in this country, while not bogging down first time purchasers.

The most conspicuous lacuna is that it has not been elucidated exactly how the newly introduced principles, such as that on eco-taxation, will work. Nor have details on how Malta will use the EU's structural funds on the environment given. A useful suggestion for the future could be not to pool the 'natural environment' and 'embellishment works' in one kettle of fish as the latter end up sapping all of the funds earmarked for the former.

Silver linings

Hats off to MEPA and ALE personnel for living up to their annual commitment to patrolling the Bahrija environs to safeguard against the illegal collection of the endangered freshwater crab. One only hopes that such monitoring is done on a more holistic basis.

A highly laudable step was taken by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) in extending the eco-certification labelling criteria to three-star hotels as well. This is a positive step in that it would directly improve the market value of the Maltese Islands and improve the local environment by affecting the consumption patterns of precious resources.

The eco-certification scheme awards hotels which show a commitment towards reducing their impact on the environment. Reducing energy and water consumption, managing waste, promoting local culture and training employees all feature as main criteria for certification.

A highly credible yardstick - The Carrying Capacity Assessment for Tourism in Malta (2001) - has shown that two tourists use as much water and electricity as five Maltese, and eco-labelling of hotels is a positive step to rectify this environment-unfriendly scenario.

The scheme has been so successful that in a way everyone now wants to join the bandwagon - applications have reopened for hotels seeking to join the scheme after a much higher than expected feedback. Vince Attard, president of NatureTrust, had earlier been appointed a member of the EU's Green Commission - the board which overviews the eco-certification. Hence, this MTA initiative is especially welcome to the NGO.

On the same lines, the MTA's Product Planning and Development Directorate recently organised a training programme on environmental management systems for local hotels on the island of Majorca, Spain. The representatives, who have been designated as eco-co-ordinators, received training on the implementation and legal implications of EMAS, an Eco-Management and Auditing System. Under this system, 11 Maltese hotels have just been audited to gauge their degree of compliance.

The training was designed to encourage hotel management to develop the hotels' environmental management system to internationally recognised levels in this forthcoming year.

Golden Bay revisited

Always driven by excessive zeal to cover environmental issues, I have overlooked some major points about the Golden Sands Hotel issue, which I have undertaken to clarify.

I concede that the part demolition of the old structure had actually taken place in accordance with the permit the group held from MEPA, and that the footprint of old property is approximately equal to that of the new property. Also, no hint of any sort of collusion between MEPA and the developer should have been made.

The managing director of Island Hotels Group, Winston V. Zahra, accepts that I had no personal interest in making the allegations on the Golden Sands Hotel case, if not out of a genuine concern for the natural environment and so the libel proceedings initiated in my regard earlier this year have been dropped by Mr Zahra.

Special thanks

Special thanks go to Mr E. Howes from Henfield, West Essex, England, for his encouraging letter published in The Sunday Times last week. Unfortunately, his wisdom will, predictably, be quickly forgotten by the top brass in this country.

deidunfever@yahoo.co.uk