No concrete solution

The outrage aimed at the construction industry is loud enough to rock its very concrete foundations. Environment Minister George Pullicino is quick to divert the criticism to mistakes made in the past. "This is a thankless job".

Back in 1994, the Planning Authority published its urban conservation plan for Sliema. By then, the beautiful old houses adorning the town's seafront had been pulled down like dominoes to make way for insipid apartment blocks.

A young architect and parliamentary hopeful by the name of George Pullicino protested vociferously and insisted that the Tigné peninsula should be included in the conservation plan. He was a voice in the wilderness.

"If more people joined me at the time, things might have been different today," Mr Pullicino says, in a resigned tone.

Since then, the relatively small area of Tigné has been turned into a cement mixer. The multi-million liri Midi consortium project is in development, tower cranes dot the sky, and hundreds of new apartments have been approved, replacing old homes. Fine dust clouds what is supposed to be a tourist zone and parking in the area is the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack.

Mr Pullicino was elected to Parliament and, assuming the portfolio of minister responsible for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority since 2003, he has no choice but to face the music.

"Is there anybody who really believes we can turn the clock back? The Tigné peninsula was lost in 1994. I believe that the urban conservation plan could have been more rigorous," the minister says, admitting it was his own party which ultimately dealt the blow.

Apart from the Midi project, Mepa recently gave the green light to the Fort Cambridge project in the area previously occupied by the Holiday Inn, amid a chorus of disapproval. Together with the Town Square project, this tiny peninsula will soon see an additional 1,300 flats.

But Mr Pullicino says Mepa is simply trying to minimise the construction damage in Sliema, after years of rape.

He admits he is concerned with the excessive construction activity taking place in Malta, especially in Sliema, but he invites critics to look at the Sliema local plan to confirm that the government has not increased the height limitation on buildings.

Likewise, Mr Pullicino insists he altered nothing in Swieqi's policies but merely abided by the decisions made by the height relaxation policies drawn up by the former Labour government.

"I only changed one thing but nobody thanked me for it. In Swieqi we introduced a policy in the Local Plan stipulating a minimum apartment size of 120 square metres to try and relieve the density."

But while the media is often fed the protests of the environmentalists and those against construction, there are several individuals who sound a very different tune.

Mr Pullicino exposes an e-mail sent to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi the day of the interview to prove his point. An individual from Attard, who has a pending case (with a recommendation for refusal) in front of Mepa, claims he didn't vote in the latest round of local elections.

The complainant tells the Prime Minister he forced his entire family to abstain from voting in the local elections and would do the same in the general election if the permit were denied.

While organisations like Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar are screaming blue murder over the approved outline development in Sliema's Windsor Terrace, several individuals are putting pressure on the minister to elevate the construction to six storeys.

"These individuals often put pressure in a subtle way - and also threaten with their vote," Mr Pullicino says in a voice of exasperation.

Ultimately, though, it was high time for people to realise that it is Mepa, and not the minister, which issues the necessary permits.

"It seems some letters to the newspapers are suggesting we turn the clock back and allow the minister to take the decisions. Of course, I am personally against certain permits that have been given and in favour of others - but I can't influence the decision. It was a Nationalist government that introduced the access to information and public participation."

The minister takes the cue from the controversial Verdala golf course application in 1996 as an example of bad governance.

When he decided to probe the environment impact assessment of the golf course, Mr Pullicino was told he could go take a look at it at the Environment Minister's office. He was not allowed to make any photocopies. Nowadays it is the right of every citizen to obtain a copy of the EIA from Mepa.

He takes exception to comments made by Labour MP Joe Brincat who recently wrote that the Fort Cambridge and Pender Place projects were approved in outline after a lengthy debate, but which had all the markings from the start that it had to be approved.

The Mepa board, he says, only approved the application following a development brief issued for public consultation. It was also worth noting that the 40 per cent open spaces originally earmarked for the Fort Cambridge project has now increased to 60 per cent following Mepa's suggestion.

Times change, as do opinions. Among those criticising the Sliema projects is an MLP candidate who had applied to construct a 20-storey building in Bugibba in the middle of a bungalow area back in 1998, Mr Pullicino recalls.

The fact that Mepa puts every single application online shows the importance it lays on transparency.

The minister heaps praise on the individuals he appointed to the authority, and notes he never selected anybody who specifically asks to be on the Mepa board.

"But in an authority of 500 people, I can't have faith in everybody... Of course I can't vouch for everybody and I would like people with any suspicions to come forward."

Despite the often harsh criticism, Mr Pullicino says he has no regrets for putting forward an amendment in the law to appoint Mepa's Audit Officer, who is free to investigate any case he deems fit.

"We all know that his comments are not always rosy. Sometimes people think I'm crazy for setting up this office. Of course, I believe the auditor sometimes went overboard, but I will go to Parliament soon to reappoint Joe Falzon."

Could he be doing so to avoid the political backlash of sacking a critic?

"No. There was a discussion within the board to see whether he should be retained in his post. The Mepa board discussed it, and the minister subsequently has to go to the House committee for approval."

Despite the occasional mud thrown at him, Mr Pullicino defends his track record and says that nobody can accuse him of making any gains off Mepa during the past years.

"I didn't even retain some professional office or hold a partnership with anybody who can somewhat gain through my work."

Turning to the so-called rationalisation process, which caused outrage among the vast majority of the public, Mr Pullicino maintains that 90 per cent of the requests had been turned down.

"I will not be surprised that among those who castigated the PN with their vote in the last elections were those whose land was turned down for development."

He challenged the MLP to explain which speculators had benefited from the rationalisation process, and to back its corruption claims.

Ultimately, though, despite the protests, many fail to look at the government's entire environment agenda, Mr Pullicino says.

Never, he is quick to add, has there been a government that has adopted such an expansive and expensive environmental drive. In 1990, the government invested a mere Lm3 million in the environment; in 2005 the figure shot up to Lm33 million.

The government has delivered on the main pivots of the environment: Waste management, water and air quality. The introduction of waste separation points and civic amenity sites and the success of campaigns such as EkoSkola and 34U cannot be overlooked. The government was prepared to put its money where its mouth is and dished out between Lm7 million and Lm10 million to invest in low sulphur oil.

"Of course, you have both a receptive and a destructive audience and in politics you don't work to get a pat on the back. Just compare the Maghtab community with the Marsascala residents," Mr Pullicino says.

While the Maghtab residents in general tolerated the ever-growing landfill and its subsequent rehabilitation, several Marsascala residents are up in arms over the Sant'Antnin recycling plant, Mr Pullicino notes. The minister believes some of the protests are generally politically motivated.

"Our agenda is not as radical as some environmentalists want us, but I can tell you there's never been a government that has been as effective in this sector."