No Christmas lull

It s no secret that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) grinds to a halt during the Christmas recess. Yet the number of outrageous planning applications certainly does not fizzle out during this period... on the contrary, there is a certain upsurge which somehow coincides with MEPA's shutdown.

Going through the planning applications published in The Malta Independent on Saturdays, one comes up with quite a staggering list:

December 4 - five Outside Development Zone (ODZ) applications, referring mainly to farm extensions and demolition of 'ruins' and their replacement with villas with pools in Kercem, Nadur (close to Il-Qortin) and Qala (Gozo) and Mellieha (including Qammiegh, Malta). The definition of 'farm' and 'ruins' could be tenuous at times.

December 11 - nine ODZ applications. These include the proposed relocation of a mobile crusher and other amenities at 32, Hardstone Quarry in Rabat (although the same quarry has been subjected to three enforcement notices - 03404/04), the proposed development of a semi-detached villa at Ta' Zokrija in Mosta, off Camillo Sciberras Street (06585/04), the proposed extension to a residential unit in the once quaint San Tumas fishing village (now a shanty town - 06855/04) and the proposed sanctioning of an existing (illegal!) boundary wall built of 'recycled' stone and to raise it by 1.2 m, besides 'fixing' the timber gate on site, despite the area being very close to the ecologically important and protected coastal cliffs (AEI and SAC INT 016-022).

This ostensibly legal development, 06606/04, should not be sanctioned since trappers in these Ghar Hasan environs over the years have cordoned off to public access entire stretches of cliff passages. Besides, there is the proposed sanctioning of an illegally constructed rubble wall (through dumping of 'inert' material on a scheduled site) and the proposed further construction of other boundary walls and a reservoir at Ta' Fantin in Bahrija (06715/04 and 06759/04) and the proposed extension to a dwelling at Ta' Lippija, l/o Gnejna and rubble wall construction (06640/04) although the area lies within a sensitive and protected zone (SAC INT 016-022 and buffer zone for AEI).

December 18 - 06701/04 refers to the proposed construction of warehouses at Tal-Handaq in Qormi, although the site is the subject of enforcement for illegally constructed warehouses, the proposed sanctioning of a massive commercial development in Ghajnsielem (06186/04), two other ODZ applications in Dingli and Wied Garnaw (see below) and the most galling of all, the proposed construction of terraced houses in Gharb (06225/04).

Through the 'grapevine' one can immediately learn of the sheer numbers of ODZ applications and the daunting challenges facing our last remaining open spaces. Applicants seem to have become well versed in the art of masking their illegalities in the appropriate terminology, such as the use of 'inert material' or 'restoration of a building in ruins' or 'built of recycled stone'.

The tracking of all this deluge saps valuable energy and resources - part of it can be stemmed through legislation barring in principle any ODZ application, except restoration of existing buildings. MEPA's PRO, Sylvana Debono (The Sunday Times, December 26, 2004) regaled us with quite depressing statistics - some 3,000 cases waiting for direct action, each costing on average Lm2,500, giving a total of Lm7.5 million. One way to wade out of this eventually is to give our legal system a much needed facelift to prevent lengthy appeal procedures and induce the perpetrator to pay up in good time.

(This section was compiled with the generous help of Annalise Falzon)

Wied Garnaw... two sides of the coin

Wied Garnaw is perpetually in the eye of the storm, it seems, since yet another application for development within the valley has been filed. PA 06394/04 refers to the proposed construction of industrial workshops in an ODZ part of the valley. Although the earmarked site lying cheek by jowl with the printing press on site, the development, if approved, would extend urban sprawl further in the valley.

This is mainly why many had opposed the development of the printing press in the first place, since its subsequent approval opened the floodgates for other planning applications on 'precedent' grounds and claiming 'discrimination' in case their application was rejected.

Doubtlessly, the applicant's architect for the Ta' Lampat site will resort to any of these arguments, stating that his client's site has targeted an 'infill site' since it also abuts on the main road. MEPA should be wary of such machinations, especially since the draft South Local Plan proposes the designation of Wied Garnaw as a valley protection zone of agricultural and ecological value.

Fortunately, Janus has two faces and literally a stone's throw away a group of dedicated volunteers, led by Dr Mario Rizzo Naudi, have embarked on the gruelling but successful restoration of the Santa Lucija tal-Barrani chapel, built in 1535, and from which the village of Santa Lucija took its name. The previously isolated chapel was the subject of popular devotion in the past and has recently been the bone of contention between the Ghaxaq and Sta Lucija councils, with the former retaining jurisdiction over the chapel as a result of a ruling by the Archbishop's Curia.

Wied il-Ghasel...further development on valley sides

The Central Malta Local Plan acknowledges the inherent importance of the network of valleys surrounding Mosta and recommends the promotion of guided walks through their passage. These sound words come a little late, however, since the valley sides of Wied l-Ghasel have been heavily urbanised, although some relatively pristine pockets still thrive.

One of these is located off Triq il-Ballut, a karstic (Coralline garigue) site endowed with Damasonium sp. and fairy shrimps which dapple the rockpools (kamenitzas) to be found while bay laurel and lentisk also endow the garigue further down the slope.

PA 06497/02 for the development of industrial garages on site was luckily turned down by MEPA but has again resurfaced through a pending appeal (167/2004). Industrial garages should be located in industrial estates and not on valley sides.

While acknowledging the need to bolster SMEs (small to medium enterprises) in the country, these cannot be located in ecologically sensitive sites. In addition, the site should be scheduled and be removed off the 'Inside Scheme' list.

Agrotourism... a foxy loophole

PA 04053/04 refers to a site in Bidnija (at Gebel Ghawzara, already plagued by infamous development) while PA 05773/04 refers to a site at Ta' l-Gharajjex in Marsalforn (below L-Gholja tas-Salvatur). The two applications are similarly tinged since the former proposes an 'agro-eco tourism project' and the latter a 'rural accommodation' facility.

As a supporter of alternative tourism, such as agro-tourism, I should be elated at such developments. However, using MEPA's mapserver to zoom in on the Gebel Ghawzara promontory, one immediately notices that the earmarked site is huge (spanning over garigue, mainly), to use an understatement, and rumour has it that the same development caters for some 22 two-floor dwellings.

Some enlightenment from MEPA or the developers themselves would be greatly welcome. Agrotourism projects should be restricted to existing farmhouses and not used as a smokescreen to usher in a whole plethora of plush dwelling constructions.

Gozo airstrip and golf course gaining momentum

Sifting through the letters published in this newspaper, the upsurge of pro-Gozo airstrip letters certainly raises an eyebrow, with proponents clamouring for anything from a fully-fledged tarmac airstrip and airport to the more plausible 'grass airstrip' extension.

These come hot on the heels of the deluge in pro-golf letters and contributions, the latest by "Castelain" (Gozo Newsletter, The Sunday Times, December 12, 2004), which states that "the anti-golf lobby should stop putting spokes in the wheels" if the advantages of golf courses are proved to outweigh the disadvantages. Mr M. Borg in the same issue is one of the few to go against the grain and realise the innate danger of white elephants, such as golf courses, which are expected to take up to a tenth of Gozo's land surface area.

Hence, the bottom line is that we are looking at a scenario in which a sort of airstrip/airport, mega-golf course and beach facilities at Ta' Cenc/Kantra and eyesore luxury apartments at Fort Chambray is very much on the cards. One should not forget the proposed Hondoq ir-Rummien yacht marina, still very much in the offing.

Against such a disconcerting backdrop, Bernard Kayser's opinion in The Mediterranean: geography of the fracture, in which he claims that some islands, like Gozo and Forementera in the Balearics, among other islands, are "completely protected" seems in need of quite some revamp and updating.

Such 'ribbon' development could bolster business and foreign tourism in Gozo in the short term but will certainly put off many local tourists who will opt for a more tranquil ambience in next-door Sicily or its islands.

Silver linings

A good example of enforcement was given when MEPA officials, alerted by Nature Trust volunteers, visited a site in Xemxija (Dawret San Pawl) to carry out an enforcement notice which the developer, Polidano Brothers, chose to ignore and proceed with works after decimating mature olive trees found on site. Needless to say, the same officials came in for some harsh verbal abuse.

After the launch of its Environmental Fund, HSBC, the world's third largest bank, added yet another notch to its tally by committing, on the opening day (December 6) of the 10th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to going carbon-neutral, in a programme that may cost up to $7 million in the first year.

HSBC's commitment to carbon neutrality involves reducing energy use, buying green electricity and then offsetting the remaining carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by investing in carbon credit or allowance projects.

The commitment also includes a three-year, £650,000 partnership with Newcastle University and the University of East Anglia (UEA) called the "HSBC Partnership in Environmental Innovation" to research climate change, society's awareness of the issues and to develop technologies to overcome some of the problems identified.

An accolade should also be reserved for the initiative to set up a committee, made up of representatives of different ministries, in which environmental issues are addressed. This is the first timid attempt at co-ordinating all environmental issues from a single source to avoid conflicting approaches taken by different ministries on particular issues, as happened with the Salina case.

Corporate environmental awareness appears to be on the rise with Middlesea Insurance injecting a much needed financial tonic into Nature Trust's Rescue Team, needed to purchase much-needed items such as dissection kits, sample bottles, waders, masks, first aid kits and gloves.

The Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment (MRAE) should also be lauded for coming forward to partially provide funds to enable the Central Mediterranean Naturalist (CMN) journal to survive yet another year. The annual publication of this local scientific journal should be ensured through an 'embedded' financial sum allocated each year towards its publication. One augurs that other sponsors help too to give the journal a definite lifeline.

A special thanks goes to Mr Brian Cassar for helping out with the photographs included in the article.

deidunfever@yahoo.co.uk