The Mtarfa local council has opposed the development of a therapeutic centre for children with behavioral problems.
The project is being proposed by the Family and Social Solidarity Ministry.
“The local council of Imtarfa does not agree that the project is done in Mtarfa. The council reiterates that the proposed project includes excessive development on a site which, in the council's view, has great potential to be regenerated into an area for the whole family, with full respect for the environment and cultural heritage,” the council said in its official position taken following a public consultation meeting on Thursday.
The project had been announced in March and will cost around €17 million. The centre will be made up of four blocks with six apartments each. Sixty-five per cent of the land will remain open space. The centre is expected to house 24 minors under the age of 18 who have been given a court sentence or show great difficulty in their behaviour.
The council said that while it agreed in principle with the need for this project, it said the small and quiet locality of Mtarfa was not the right place for such a therapeutic centre. Mtarfa already hosts several governmental and non-governmental entities, including a Home for the Elderly, three homes that offer services for people with disabilities, a health shelter for people with food-related problems and an international school.
The council said that the proposed development will have an adverse impact on the environment and the aesthetic aspect of the area, and will cause substantial pollution resulting from light, noise and excessive traffic. In this regard, the council also noted that the proposed project is located next to private residences, close to a primary school and local entities that welcome children and young people.
The council unanimously agreed that the project should be carried out in an alternative location, outside the boundaries of Mtarfa.
Referring to Thursday’s meeting, the council thanked the ministry for the availability to discuss the project with the council and Mtarfa residents and condemned the small group of residents who attempted to assault ministry representatives who were present at the meeting and tried to intimidate council members “with reprehensible behaviour”.
Residents who were present at the meeting described the project as a juvenile prison rather than a therapeutic centre.
In a statement, PN MPs Rebekah Cilia, David Agius and Claudette Buttigieg said the government plan was presented as a fait accompli without any prior consultation. They said it was evidence that the government will steamroll over the residents and the council and that the project will go ahead anyway because the cabinet had already decided on it. While not against the project, the PN cannot accept the lack of consultation, they said.
“The Nationalist Party insists that while it remains in favour of better facilities, it believes that consultations are crucial for a project of this type to find the balance between the need for which it will be carried out and the needs of the residents,” the MPs said in a joint statement.