Din l-Art Helwa stands its ground

Din l-Art Helwa has reiterated that the newly approved Local Plan for Gozo contains a loophole that effectively gives the green light to the proposed development at Ta' Cenc.

The NGO described as "misleading" the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's vehement denial of its assertion, first made last week.

Din L-Art Helwa had issued a statement saying that the recently approved Local Plan effectively gives the controversial plans for the construction of extensive tourism accommodation at Ta' Cenc the go-ahead despite conflicting with the Structure Plan.

Mepa responded by accusing the heritage organisation of distorting the facts. A spokesman said: "It borders on the incredible how something that is easily available for public scrutiny may be allowed to be distorted beyond recognition."

However, in a letter published in The Times today (page 10), Din L-Art Helwa refuses to budge. "Misleadingly, the Mepa PRO quotes only from the Local Plan without allowing readers the opportunity to see how it deviates from the detailed terms of the over-riding Structure Plan," president Martin Galea writes.

He has sent excerpts from the two documents to back up its assertion that a subtle entry in the Local Plan opens the door to development along the plateau overlooking Mgarr ix-Xini when provisions in the Structure Plan effectively rule them out.

When asked by The Times to react to the latest development, Mepa said: "The excerpt from the Local Plan attached to the letter to the editor (August 25) shows clearly that there is no conflict between the Local Plan and the Structure Plan. No further comment is deemed necessary."

Structure Plan

Policy Tou10:

The area of Ta' Cenc, Gozo, from east of the Mgarr ix-Xini inlet to the village of Sannat, will be further studied as a potential demonstration project of high quality for both:

1. Malta's first national park, (World Conservation Union definition) covering the majority of the area.

2. Malta's first multi ownership tourism hotel development, in the vicinity of the existing Ta' Cenc hotel.

The national park will have a nature emphasis, including both the protection and enhancement of the natural environment and other heritage items, particularly archaeological remains; a limited amount of careful restocking with species of flora and fauna indigenous to the Maltese islands; a visitor centre and interpretive facilities.

The term "multi ownership tourism hotel" is described in Section 19. A major feature of both the hotel and the national park is that they will have professional management acting on behalf of all owners, and which at Ta' Cenc will be a single management company responsible for both the park and the hotel.

Further studies of this potential will require a particularly thorough assessment of on and off site impacts, including traffic, utility services, recreation, labour requirements, skills provision, materials supplies, as well as impacts on the natural and cultural heritage, and measures by which adverse impacts will be overcome. The height of buildings will be restricted to one and two storeys with the exception of traditional taller features such as stone built windmills, lookout towers, domes, and spires. The blending of the hotel into the landscape, and the use of the best traditional features which are characteristic of Gozo, are of particular importance.

Approved Local Plan

14.11.3 Ta' Cenc
Structure Plan policy TOU 10 states that Ta' Cenc will be developed as a multi ownership tourism hotel development as well as a "national park". To this effect, a number of submissions and studies have been undertaken in consultation with the MEPA so that the provisions of this policy are implemented. Apart from the detailed provisions of the development, a number of fundamental points have to be observed in the development of this area. These are aimed mainly to provide free and unhindered public access around the coastline, to limit development in the lower part of the plateau (near Mgarr ix-Xini), to protect the wealth of archaeological, scenic and ecological heritage at the top of the plateau and to sensitively merge the resultant development with the surrounding landscape. Care should also be exercised in terms of restricting as much as possible the height limitation and to steer development away from the coastal cliffs and the southern escarpment.

GZ-Snat-2
The area known as Ta' Cenc and indicated on MAP 14.11.E shall be developed to the provisions of Structure Plan Policy TOU 10.

In determining applications for planning permission, MEPA shall have regard to the following points:

a) safeguard the wealth of archaeological, ecological and scenic heritage found at the top of the plateau from built development, trampling and tipping;

b) restrict the tourism related development on the eastern flank of the promontory;

c) encourage the upgrading of the existing facilities near the hotel provided that development of tourism related or other facilities are maintained at a minimum distance of 50m from the coastal cliffs and sufficiently away from the northern escarpment;

d) safeguard the area indicated on MAP 13.6 for free and unhindered coastal access;

e) protect a pedestrian path shown on MAP 14.11-E running parallel to the northern carriageway route which links the hotel to the Villa Area for free and unhindered public access;

f) ensure that the overall height of the development does not increase in the area closest to the northern escarpment or the coastal cliffs;

g) restrict development within 50m of the inland most tier of the coastal cliffs anywhere along their length; and

h) prohibit developments and/or activities that may negatively affect the colonies of breeding seabirds in the cliffs below Ta' Cenc. This includes both land-based and sea-based activities.

Bold text is Din L-Art Helwa's emphasis