MEPA promises to remove illegal skip depot

A skip depot that is operating illegally in Wied Garnaw, one of the few valleys left in the south of Malta and a designated green area, is to be removed by MEPA (the Malta Environment and Planning Authority) "imminently".

This was stated by MEPA's PRO in an e-mail to the Save Wied Garnaw Action Group, the group said in a statement on Friday.

A MEPA enforcement notice (ECF 13620/00) on the site of the skip depot has been outstanding since December 2000. The developer ignored the enforcement notice and in June 2002 MEPA referred the case for direct action (meaning that MEPA would restore the site itself at the developer's expense).

On March 9 MEPA's PRO informed the Save Wied Garnaw Action Group that the case was still waiting its turn for direct action. However, MEPA also informed the group that the developer was to remove his vehicles and skips "immediately".

The developer again disregarded MEPA's instructions. When the Save Wied Garnaw Action Group pointed this out, MEPA replied on Tuesday that direct action would be carried out "imminently" without, however, indicating the exact date.

The Save Wied Garnaw Action Group, a non-political group dedicated to preserving Wied Garnaw as an agricultural area, welcomes MEPA's commitment to finally carry out direct action against this illegal development and expects this month.

The action group noted that the case of the skip depot has been dragging on for well over three years and hopes that it will now be brought to a conclusion.

Wied Garnaw is threatened by other illegal developments. At least 17 enforcement notices are outstanding in the valley. The action group believes that there is a need for more effective action to curb illegal development and protect Malta's remaining countryside, and it calls on the authorities to take this in hand as a matter of national urgency.

Meanwhile, the developer's application for a permit to build a waste sorting facility on the site remains under consideration by MEPA when the action group believes it should be rejected outright since Wied Garnaw is outside development boundaries.

The Save Wied Garnaw Action Group is collecting signatures for a petition calling on MEPA to do so and to ensure that the valley remains an agricultural area. Anybody wishing to sign this petition or join the action group can contact it via

e-mail at: savegarnaw@yahoo.co.uk.