'Detrimental to tourism'

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said yesterday that any extension of boundaries for further development would be detrimental to the tourism industry.

The association said the government must ensure that only 10 per cent of submissions for an extension of the boundaries are entertained. This would equate to a 2.4 per cent increase in the development zones, even though the MHRA said it considered this as being already high.

The Environment Ministry said on Saturday that less than 10 per cent of requests by landowners to have their properties included in the development zones actually met the extension criteria.

The association welcomed the fact that once the development boundaries are approved, the government is binding the zones for the next 10 years.

"The MHRA reiterates that ideally there will not be any increases in boundaries in order to protect the little open country Malta has left from further development. Tourists visiting the islands often complain that Malta is one large building site since cranes top the skyline in every direction and many streets in most tourism zones are blocked for months on end due to construction.

"The MHRA would like to see more law enforcement on building sites so that these are managed according to proper European standards. Building works should not cause nuisance to locals and visitors and they should not cause loss of business to commercial establishments in the vicinity. Any development should be subjected to rigorous regular inspection and be subject to a specific time frame for completion with stiff penalties if works are not completed on time," the association said.