Moviment Graffitti, Dingli farmers and residents are appealing a decision to uproot two 300-year old carob trees to make way for a new road.
On Wednesday residents and activists disrupted the felling of the trees, after workers turned up to clear the way for a controversial road project through farmland.
An environment authority permit allows the uprooting of trees, including the two carob trees and a pomegranate tree as well as the “heavy pruning” of an additional carob tree.
On Friday the NGO said it had filed an appeal with the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal against ERA's decision to issue the permit for the uprooting of the trees.
"The proposed road will spell the death of two 300-year old carob trees, the livelihood of farmers who till the land in the area, and ruin the context if not structural integrity of a medieval chapel which, earlier this week, has been granted scheduling after a request by residents and activists.
"In what has now become a familiar modus operandi, Infrastructure Malta personnel appeared onsite without warning a day after the permit was issued and started chopping trees in the area, before being halted yet again by residents and activists. ERA personnel arrived in Dingli to investigate, after which it emerged that IM had not informed ERA of its plan to commence works as indicated in permit conditions," Moviment Graffitti said in a statement.
The work, they added, had started illegally during the period in which the appeal may be filed.
The appellants are contesting ERA’s "unreasonable decision" to grant this permit.
They added that, contrary to what has been claimed by IM, only part of the proposed road is schemed, with the rest being situated in an Out of Development Zone area.
“We’ve never seen such urgency to build a road. IM has tried to start these roadworks twice already, without notice and in breach of existing policies. Minister Ian Borg sent out a flyer to all of Dingli, trying to sell the road, knowing there’s widespread opposition to it. We can only wonder whether there are hidden agendas behind this unusual, unnecessary project.”
“We’ve stopped works twice, and we’ll do it again if we have to. We call on Minister Borg to protect his own constituents from the arrogant tactics employed by his own agency and its CEO... otherwise, we’ll be forced to step up our own actions.”