Sustainable Sliema

For the past three years I was jointly responsible for the environment within the Sliema council. Being a Green councillor, I worked for the protection of Sliema's environmental, historical and cultural heritage, for improvements in gardens, soft areas and beaches and for residents' right to a better quality of life. The Green vision is holistic, giving importance to concepts such as sustainability, responsibility and solidarity.

Should I be re-elected on March 11, my programme for the next three years includes various proposals related to the environment, the social sphere, urban development, transport, culture and residents' rights.

As regards public land such as the Qui-si-sana garden, I shall continue to insist on their protection from destructive development, commercialisation and speculation. I shall also work on continuous upkeep of gardens and on the planting of more trees, flowers and plants, especially of the indigenous type.

Sliema's heritage such as scheduled buildings, properties within the urban conservation area, the caves in the Chalet area, and the Pjazzetta should be protected. I am proud to say that, during the past three years, my proposals on these specific examples were supported by councillors of the other two political parties.

When construction does take place, this should be in full conformity with the law and with health and safety regulations. This issue is of major concern to many residents. Practically all parts of Sliema have some form of construction going on. While development may be beneficial for the economy, this should not result in a lower quality of life.

Sliema's beaches should be accessible to everyone and should be kept clean, free from sewage, litter, dog dirt and cars. As regards the latter, the area under It-Torri is particularly problematic as some people continue to park their cars on the rocks, to the detriment of the environment and bathers.

As I have done in these three years, I plan to instruct wardens to book such offenders. I also intend to keep a vigilant eye on accessibility to Sliema's beaches. Everyone has the right of access to the coast. I am pleased to say that only a few days ago a lido was forced to remove an illegal fence that was denying access to the public.

Another issue which is high on Alternattiva Demokratika's agenda is transport and parking. I am in full agreement with a free residents parking scheme administered by the local council. I am also in favour of revision of the reserved parking scheme to avoid any form of abuse.

At the same time, I plan to continue to give top priority to the need for improvement in public transport. A better public transport service helps reduce traffic, parking problems and pollution. Improvement in this sector is a key issue for a sustainable Sliema.

Road construction should be carried out in a more professional way, and top priority should be given to the state of Sliema's pavements, particularly because of the town's aging population.

As in the past three years, I also plan to give importance to waste separation, and I hope to convince fellow councillors for a proper time for waste collection, which meets the requirements of residents.

As a Green councillor I will also be giving importance to areas such as animal welfare, sport, culture and activities by civil society organisations.

In these three years I have done my best for the introduction of a culture of consultation with residents, so that the Sliema council would truly be a democratic people's council with a real community spirit. In the next three years I hope to build on these foundations, in a spirit of constructive dialogue and co-operation, free from partisan pique.

Michael Briguglio is Alternattiva Demokratika - The Green Party's Sliema councillor

www.alternattiva.org.mt