The decision by the Environment Authority to allow the removal of some 100 mature trees to make way for a new road to Marsalforn was an example of how tarmac and traffic came before the environment, the PN said on Wednesday.

The Environment and Resources Authority confirmed on Tuesday that it had given the Gozo Ministry permission to uproot almost 100 trees along the arterial road between Victoria and Marsalforn. According to the permit, 62 of the trees will be transplanted while 37 will be uprooted and replaced with compensatory trees.

The uprooting of the trees is in connection with a project to widen the road and the building of another road to bypass traffic away from Victoria’s centre.

The PN, while describing the road widening as 'needless,' said it was clear that environmental protection was given a lower priority to cars and tarmac by the government. Government talk about protecting the agricultural sector and trees sounded hollow when contrasted with the government's own actions, the party said. 

Preserving agricultural land and the environment should be an absolute priority, it insisted.

The statement was signed by Rebekah Borg, shadow minister for the environment, Joe Giglio, shadow minister for the infrastructure and Alex Borg, shadow minister for Gozo.