Wied Garnaw plant bid rejected

Wied Garnaw is safe from development, at least for now, after the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's Development Control Commission yesterday gave the thumbs down to an application for the construction of an inorganic waste separation plant there.

However, although happy with the decision, he members of the committee of the Save Wied Garnaw Action Group and residents of the area were disappointed that they missed the hearing, which was held earlier than the scheduled time of 2 p.m. On arrival they were unceremoniously informed that the application had been refused.

Members of the press including cameramen were also irate when they realised that the hearing was already over at the time it should have started.

The reason for the hearing taking place earlier was not given.

The red light by the DCC is only a temporary halt to the application because the applicant has the right to ask the DCC to reconsider its decision and may also seek redress at the Appeals Board within 30 days of receiving note of the DCC's decision.

The valley supporting agricultural land skirts Santa Lucia, Tarxien, Luqa, Ghaxaq and Gudja.

Talking to reporters after the briefest of encounters with the DCC, Catherine Polidano, chairman of the lobby group, argued that so much energy and resources were being wasted because Mepa was also considering structures outside development zones.

Mepa exacerbated matters when it sanctioned illegal structures or took a long time to implement enforcement notices, she added.

"It is with great pleasure to note that the concerted pressure of several local councils and non-government organisations together with a number of MPs has led to this positive result.

"We trust that the site involved in this matter will not remain in a legal limbo and the retaining wall that has turned the parcel of land into what looks like a concentration camp will now be removed," she said.

The limited resources of Mepa were being gobbled up by the applications of people who built structures illegally and who then tried to thwart the regulations by applying to have them sanctioned. "Mepa should put its foot down and declare once and for all that applications for development or to sanction illegal structures in areas outside development zones will not be considered. What's the point of compiling a Structure Plan that costs thousands of liri to put together and then steer away at will from the plan?" she asked.

What was happening was that whoever had a room in a green area was starting a business on site instead of moving to an industrial area, Ms Polidano said.

"The application which the DCC has just turned down is merely the tip of the iceberg because although the valley is to be safeguarded - according to the Mepa's plan for the south - for its agricultural and ecological value, there are 20 illegal developments including scrap yards.

"Such developments are an affront to citizens and are unacceptable. All of these illegal developments have been slapped with an enforcement notice by Mepa but no action is apparently being taken to have them removed," she added.

Labour MP Karl Chircop, who was present outside the DCC meeting place, and who had presented a petition in Parliament with 6,000 signatures against the proposed development, said he was suspicious of the fact that the application had taken nine months to be heard.

"We will remain vigilant because we strongly believe that nobody should cut corners in such cases," Dr Chircop said.

Labour MP Silvio Parnis was also present.

Development application number 6268/03 was submitted to Mepa in November 2003, asking to construct an "inorganic waste separation unit" and to sanction the illegal removal of soil from the site and the raising of a boundary wall to an unauthorised height. The applicant is Emanuel Magro.