Group wants action against illegal depot

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has pledged to take "imminent" direct action to remove an illegal depot being used for skips and other heavy equipment in Wied Garnaw, according to an e-mail it has sent to the Save Wied Garnaw Action Group.

The group said that in the last few days the developer appeared to have stopped operating from the site and most skips, trucks and other equipment have been removed.

However, the most important step - that of restoring the site to its natural state and bringing back the soil - still remained to be taken.

The valley is one of the last remaining green areas in the highly industrialised south. It is a green lung for the populations of Sta Lucija, Gudja, Tarxien, Luqa and Ghaxaq, and lies outside development boundaries.

The site has been under a Mepa enforcement notice (ECF 1362/00) since December 2000. In June 2002 the authority referred the case for direct action, meaning that it would restore the site itself at the developer's expense.

However, this did not take place, said the group, dedicated to preserving Wied Garnaw as open countryside.

The group noted that the case has been dragging on for well over three years and welcomed Mepa's commitment to finally carry out direct action against this illegal development. But, it added, Mepa had not specified when it intended to act.

The group hopes the action will take place soon, certainly during April.

Wied Garnaw is also threatened by other illegal developments. At least 17 enforcement notices are outstanding on the valley, the group said.