Gozo is always a popular resort in summer. The season now drawing to a close has undoubtedly brought welcome economic benefits to the island. Yet, concerns are being voiced among Gozitans about the growing volume of traffic and the crowded beaches, as well as the threat to its village cores and countryside from new development.
The sister island has its own special character and many rightly want to preserve it. They are worried that Gozo will in the future become as congested and over-developed as Malta is now. If this threat is real, are we still in time to avoid it and what steps are being taken to ensure that it does not materialise?
Controversial planning applications in Gozo are constantly in the news. A recent case was the ongoing attempt to turn a dilapidated room in the outskirts of Qala into a full-scale villa. It has not yet made it through all the loops but will be back up for consideration in early October.
Other dubious building proposals for Gozo are also winding their way through the planning labyrinth.
The government rightly says that planning decisions are not in its hands but are taken by independent boards.
It is important to remember, however, that such applications would not even be submitted if developers did not consider themselves in with a chance to succeed under the existing policies.
The government does bear some responsibility overall, as it sets the policy framework.
Among the planning policies applicable to Gozo, the high-rise policy is an exception. It groups the whole of Gozo together with village cores, ODZ and other protected areas, and does not permit high-rise on the island. It recognises that localities in Gozo are visually sensitive and too small to absorb such major development for tourism accommodation or leisure uses.
In order to preserve Gozo’s special character, the same line of thinking should be applied to all planning policies which relate to the island. Policies for Malta and Gozo do not need to set off from the same starting point.
The new local plans have been in the pipeline for years. When these do materialise eventually, what will be the vision for development in Gozo?
In the meantime, the proposed road tunnel would surely diminish Gozo’s special character. Good connectivity between the islands is desirable but the fourth ferry seems to have made a noticeable difference to waiting times. Exporting Malta’s traffic congestion to Gozo may cancel out any positive economic impacts created by a fixed link and introduce new problems instead.
Besides a better ferry service, this may be an opportunity for a modal shift towards wider public transport options. The government says it is carrying out studies on the introduction of an underground metro.
Why are these two major infrastructural initiatives not being synchronised through one overall vision? Is Gozo included in the studies?
Many remain unconvinced about the benefits of the proposed tunnel and do not believe it is necessary.
The increase in traffic alone would risk changing for good the traditional character of Gozo. The government claims a tunnel would not cause excessive development there.
It is unclear whether this claim is based on studied insights or whether it is empty rhetoric. Seeing the lack of studies on the tunnel so far, it seems more likely to be the latter.