Appeals board 'possible'

Some sort of an appeals board could be set up to hear complaints by land owners who feel their property should have been included in the development zones rationalisation exercise, Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino said yesterday.

Addressing the press at his office in Valletta a day after Parliament approved a resolution clearing the exercise, Mr Pullicino pointed out no decision had yet been taken about such form of redress.

"I would like to assure those whose land was left out that it was not out of spite or to vindicate ourselves but because of environmental considerations," he said.

Mr Pullicino harshly criticised the opposition for what he termed its ambiguous stand on the development zones extensions, saying the Labour Party had promised to extend the zones and that its projected extensions were far bigger than what Parliament approved on Wednesday.

Mr Pullicino said 65 per cent of the land included in the development zones had been recommended by Mepa and included in local plans. But certain pockets had to be addressed, that's why the government intervened.

The minister said he was struck by the ambiguity, inconsistence and lack of preparation of the Labour MPs who spoke about the boundaries issue.

"Their inconsistency can be seen from the fact that they took part with NGOs in a protest against the extensions yet they also suggested extensions.

"Opposition spokesman Roderick Galdes wanted to include a large tract of land right opposite the foreshore at Xghajra, while Charles Buhagiar, without declaring he was the architect of a client owning land near the Mater Dei Hospital, insisted on a boundary adjustment at Msida. The opposition also lobbied for the inclusion of land at Mellieha, Salina, Zebbug, Mtarfa, Zebbiegh and Kalkara.

"If we take out those tracts of land they criticised and include what they suggested, the boundaries would have been far bigger".

He denied any illegal buildings would be sanctioned with the extensions and challenged anyone who was alleging bribery to pass on any information to the police.

Mr Pullicino said he knew the exercise would be a tough one and he never expected applause. "One loses friends with such exercises, but we established criteria to avoid creating anomalies. It was an exercise where we put the country before the party," he said.