NGO reacts to 'misleading' explanation

The environmental NGO Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) has accused the Malta Environment and Planning Authority of giving a misleading explanation with regard to the Windsor Terrace permit issue.

A report by Mepa's audit officer recently accused one of the authority's Development Control Commissions of having wrongly approved the building of an apartment block in one of Sliema's urban conservation areas. The auditor also called for the DCC members' resignation.

The FAA said Mepa's reaction to the auditor's report on the "scandalous" Windsor Terrace permit was characterised by playing with words, legalisms, and "outright misleading statements".

"Faced with the report that the DCC board approved a six-floor block of apartments in an area where both the draft and the ratified local plans stipulated only two floors, all that Mepa and Environment Minister George Pullicino came up with was to split hairs that the building to be constructed is not six floors high but four plus a penthouse. Whether the proposed building of a so-called 'semi'-basement (of about 10 filati or stone courses above ground), four floors and a penthouse is effectively five or six floors is an irrelevant distraction in the face of such a blatant breach of regulations," the NGO said.

FAA said the site was in the middle of a row of identical, untouched, two-floor, old Sliema townhouses that until recently were shown to be scheduled on the Mepa map server. "It was therefore misleading that there were various sites in the area being committed to six floors. This is downright misleading," the FAA added.

It said it was outraged at Mepa's statement that the DCC had shouldered its responsibility in taking "the appropriate decision in a fair, reasonable and just manner".

How could both Mepa and the Environment Minister seek not only to shield but even to condone such a blatant abuse of environment law, rather than taking remedial action against it, the NGO asked.

"If the DCC members are not prepared to shoulder their responsibilities by adhering to Mepa's regulations, they should tender their resignation immediately. If the minister does not deem this necessary, then he should consider the political responsibility that this entails," the FAA said.