Editorial

The recent abject felling of carob and other trees that have graced Kalkara Valley for hundreds of years is a contemporary tale of rape of the countryside, the flouting of authority, lack of enforcement and unadulterated greed.

That planning permission for development in this valley had been granted was itself a controversial issue, which should have led the developer to treat the issue sensitively and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to exercise every due care so that the letter of the planning permit was observed.

But, as things turned out, that is hardly the case.

Mepa confirms that carob trees were uprooted illegally and, consequently, enforcement action was being taken against the developer who, it said, will have to compensate by way of a donation of trees to the local council.

The developer's architect depicts a different picture. His client, he insists, had the necessary Mepa permits to fell the trees. The Kalkara local plan, the architect explained, had allocated the site for development, the necessary studies had been carried out and a permit for the removal of the trees, including protected ones, had been issued. In return, his client had been bound by a bank guarantee of Lm5,000 to plant 18 endemic trees and be responsible for them for five years.

The mayor of Kalkara insists there had been at least two carob trees that had been cut down and Nature Trust, which has been monitoring the situation, claims that not only were protected carob trees and bay laurels uprooted, other trees older than 50 years had also been removed.

A very messy picture indeed and, yet, the deed is done. Two ancient carob trees - protected, endemic trees, forming a distinct and typical part of the Maltese countryside - have been willfully killed.

For what reason or purpose? For greater financial gain? For sheer unbridled greed? This represents the unacceptable face of construction development in Malta. The Times is not against development. It recognises the economic benefits which the country and its people derive from it. But it must be properly controlled and the parameters laid down by Mepa - whether on land use or protected trees - must be respected.

Those who see land and buildings only in terms of profit should look carefully at the country they are creating, the natural countryside lost never to be regained. They should also look around them. For what they see is the mirror of the values they hold. The uprooting of the carob trees at Kalkara Valley exemplifies those warped values. And if this country accepts them, it seriously risks leaving a legacy of uglification to generations still to come.

It is for this reason, above all others, that The Times sincerely hopes that in such cases, Mepa will apply all the powers at its disposal in ensuring that a developer is not only made to pay dearly in financial terms for any contravention of the permit and for the damage done, whether in the killing of ancient protected trees or otherwise, but also to ensure that the area of land where such damage would have been caused is embellished in a way so it cannot be used for development purposes - thus preventing developers from gaining financially from any ill-considered and illegal actions.

A cavalier approach to planning permits by many - though not all - developers is commonplace. Where this is detected, it must be stamped upon by Mepa, which must assert its authority in an effective and no nonsense manner and also ensure respect for itself.