Żurrieq farmers and residents 'betrayed' by lands minister: Residents groups

Updated 6pm with government statement

Eight resident groups and Il-Kollettiv have backed two farmers who are being kicked out of Żurrieq agricultural land their families have tilled for generations.

In a statement, the groups condemned the government for prioritising private construction over agricultural land. 

The controversy of the Tal-Bebbux plans concerns an 11,000 square metre tract of agricultural land which was earmarked for development in the 2006 local plans but has been farmed by locals for generations. 

Now, the fields are the subject of a Planning Control application filed by a private developer who owns a nearby plot. The application seeks to build a road through the public land and would, if approved, effectively evict two farmers. 

In a press statement on Wednesday, Residenti taż-Żurrieq and seven other groups slammed the government’s handling of the situation, and particularly singled out Lands Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, who represents Malta’s fifth electoral district, an area significantly impacted by the rationalisation zones introduced in the 2006 Local Plans. 

Jan Camilleri, a member of Residenti taż-Żurrieq said Zrinzo Azzopardi had lied to his constituents. 

“Last year, Zrinzo Azzopardi ‘withdrew’ a private development on the eve of our press conference, a week before the MEP elections. Whatever went on away from public scrutiny throughout this year has resulted in exactly the same situation as last June,” he said. 

“Farmers and residents are right to feel betrayed by one of their elected representatives.”

The group called out Zrinzo Azzopardi’s claims that “his hands are tied” by the 2006 Local Plans. There have been cases when local plans have been amended to accommodate similar private interests, they noted. 

“When the minister claims he has no power to save Żurrieq from its fate, to the point where an Authority under his remit is evicting farmers, it’s because his hands are tied by private interests,” the statement reads. 

The resident group promised to support the farmers affected and appealed to residents of Żurrieq and surrounding localities to show solidarity. 

Il-Kollettiv secretary Wayne Flask reiterated a call for a planning reform that puts residents at its centre. In July 2024, thirteen resident and local conservation groups issued a set of wide-ranging proposals for this reform.

“It is becoming even more evident that residents and farmers are the eternal victims of the construction industry, with the government often acting as a willing accomplice," Flask said. 

Zrinzo Azzopardi is seriously underestimating the public sentiment in his constituency, and if his priorities lie in facilitating private development, then he should seek a career outside public service."

'Government-owned land will remain public land'- lands ministry

In a statement, the lands ministry said the government has stuck to the promises it made in May last year about the tal-Bebbux area.   

“The Government had stated that the land it owns in that area will remain public land and that development on it will only take place if there is a need for a project that benefits the Żurrieq community, and such development must be carried out in agreement with the Żurrieq Local Council”. 

The Planning control application was amended to reflect the government’s position last December, the statement said.  

“The amended PC application also stipulates that 750 square meters of this land must be retained as open space for the enjoyment of the Żurrieq community”. 

“The Government reiterates that it remains committed to ensuring that, where the land in the Bebbux Zone is government-owned, it will be put to the best possible use in the best interest of the Żurrieq community,” the Lands ministry statement said.