How to destroy paradise

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide guaranteed to spoil a very beautiful island, its environment, unique ambiance, its physical cultural heritage and general quality of life for its people.

1. Keep electing an extremely pro-development, pro-mass tourism and pro-construction government which is obsessed with growth and focused on quantity instead of quality (it would be an added bonus if that government has also been proven to be corrupt and mercenary).

The Sliema seafront where development has gone on unfettered.

2. Encourage low-cost mass tourism on a very small island instead of more exclusive, high-value visitors, then fail to adequately invest in the required infrastructure such as rubbish collection, public transport, open and green public spaces, drainage, pedestrian area paving, utilities maintenance and supply and government services. You can also turn illustrious world heritage sites into tawdry entertainment hubs close to residential areas and create high levels of noise pollution for the residents and more discerning visitors.

3. Allow and encourage the importation of large numbers of low and unskilled foreign nationals to keep wages low and facilitate the mass tourism and rampant construction mentioned in the first two points. This will also contribute to the subsequent overcrowding on public transport, long queues for services, accommodation cost/supply issues, traffic congestion and also overcrowding in general in places like beaches/swimming areas, shops and supermarkets, bars and cafes, pedestrian areas, entertainment venues, tourist attractions, festivals and events and just about everywhere.

It will also contribute to social tension, create a socio-economic subclass and help erode the traditional friendliness of Maltese people by flooding some areas with large numbers of people with very different values, customs, religion and other sensibilities.

4. Have very poor development planning, lax regulation and very weak enforcement of regulations so that construction and overdevelopment are unfettered and both the natural and traditional built environments are rapidly destroyed along with streetscape aesthetics, panoramic views, heritage architecture and, also, the general skyline of villages and whole sections of the island.

This will also contribute to the levels of noise, uglification, lack of open spaces, air and water pollution, disruption of movement, dust and building waste, physical danger and general inconvenience as to harmfully impact the mental health of the population.

NB: Destroying a paradise can sometimes take generations but, in some places where there is a concerted effort, it only takes a decade or two.

Rupert Grech – Valletta