Threat to Lija village core

I am writing this letter as an ex-Lija resident.

If Mepa approves Building Plan Application No. 4855/05, not only a couple of flats will be constructed in Transfiguration Avenue, a few metres away from the church of Our Saviour in Lija, but a concrete jungle of 18 flats and penthouses, along with, of course, 18 subterranean garages served with three car lifts on three different underground floor levels.

Objections have already been raised against this proposed building, mainly because the area in question lies between two streets, Transfiguration Avenue and Dun Karm Lia Street which, in reality, is just an alley - a mere few metres long and 5.75 metres wide.

Consequently, a building permit will create a precedent and will have a rippling effect. More speculation of the nearby character houses is liable to follow, resulting in the gradual erosion of the heart of the village of Lija. This will eventually substantiate what the authorities concerned have already been dubbed with during a recent pro-environment rally, namely Bulldozer Incorporated (gvern tal-gaffa). Rather than talk reason, they simply bulldoze it out of the way.