While the government professes to want to protect the farmers, it fails to change and reduce development zones to save arable land, Malta’s green party said on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference in Iklin, where a road has been proposed on ODZ land, adding to the arable land already slated to be sacrificed in the area, ADPD called on the authorities to end the overdevelopment plaguing the island.
“Parliament can still stop the destruction of a substantial part of the 2 million square metres of land that the Nationalist Government slated for development in 2006,” ADPD leader Carmel Cacopardo said.
“It is futile that the parties in Parliament declare their love for open spaces when both have refused to reverse immediately the 2006 rationalisation plan,” he added.
‘Rationalisation’ was an ‘exercise’, which saw extensive parcels of land, totalling over 150,000 square metres, go from ODZ designation to one where development can be contemplated.
In Iklin, 'rationalisation' was to blame for the 5,000 square metres of agricultural land currently slated for destruction, but to top it off the developer was now asking for a road to be built over ODZ land, Cacopardo pointed out.
“In this case, the developer wants more. The developer has the cheek to ask the Planning Authority (PC00054/17) to build a road over ODZ land – that is extending further the area already given for development by the rationalisation scheme,” he said.
Cacopardo highlighted that in spite of all the nice statements that one finds in the 'Acquisition and ownership of agricultural land reform White Paper' published earlier this week, permits such as the one for this site in Iklin continue to be granted for large tracts of land that until 2006 were considered outside the development zone.
ADPD General Secretary Ralph Cassar said that the party had been to various towns and villages, to raise awareness about the destruction unleashed by the 2006 rationalisation scheme.
“The destruction caused by this scheme has been felt all over Malta – from Swieqi to Birżebbuġa, Marsaxlokk, Marsaskala, Mosta, Ħ’Attard and more recently in Santa Luċija – to name a few places. Today it is L-Iklin’s turn,” he said.
Cacopardo pledged to continue fighting to safeguard arable land.
“So long as there is the last remaining fraction of a square metre of land that can be saved, we will continue our fight to safeguard agricultural land and stop senseless development,” he said.