MEPA against any development overlooking Fekruna Bay

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority is recommending to the government that an area on the clay slope overlooking Fekruna Bay should be permanently withdrawn from building schemes.

MEPA issued a statement to explain its position after Xemxija residents and other people who have been campaigning to save Fekruna Bay from development since 1991 said they were baffled how an area that was scheduled by the authority in 1997 was suddenly back within the building scheme.

The residents noted that while the area in question was shaded in green in the North West local plan - signifying it was protected after the PA had scheduled the site - it was marked as being within the scheme on survey sheets on MEPA's official web site.

MEPA said the area had been in the building scheme since the Temporary Provisions Schemes were drawn up in 1988, and it was still within the scheme. However, the site was scheduled following an exercise that the authority had carried out to protect coastal cliffs.

"The scheduling of the area is still in place and no downgrading or de-scheduling has taken place", MEPA said.

"However, MEPA can only recommend to the government that a scheme be changed. As the North West local plan is still in draft form and still has to be presented to the government for approval, the scheme boundaries cannot be changed. This is why maps available on-line still show the area within the scheme.

"MEPA will continue to defend its case for this scheduling to be enforced," the authority said.

In a statement, Nature Trust (Malta) urged MEPA to uphold the Level 1 scheduling reserved for the coastal cliffs at Dawret il-Fekruna, Xemxija.

Nature Trust (Malta) said a developer had appealed to the authority to revoke the scheduling status of the site to enable him to build two villas on the cliffs.

"Such a prospect would involve the excavation of large amounts of blue clay. It would expose the site to erosion, jeopardise the highly vulnerable ecology of coastal cliffs and serve as an eyesore to the pristine landscape in the area," Nature Trust said.

"For such reasons, Nature Trust believes that scheduling is important to ward off excessive development of our coast.

"Nature Trust only hopes that the authority sticks to its guns and safeguards another pristine area in our islands."