The sorry state of Mellieha

Like every civilised member of society, one can only condemn the vandalism meted out on the numerous trees in Mellieha.

However, as a Mellieha resident, I object to the Environment Minister telling us that our children are the victims of such vandalism.

My children are victims of the decisions made by Minister Pullicino and the rest of our government, who have approved the recent Local Plans. Our children are suffering from asthma and allergies resulting from living in a village that has been turned into a war zone.

You cannot walk for more than 20 metres without stumbling through a building site. Pneumatic drills, concrete mixers, rock grinders, cranes and all every building site brings with it. Even our Urban Conservation Area has been reduced to please the speculators. What used to be a pristine village has been darted with no fewer than 20 tower cranes.

Even our valleys have been attacked from all directions. Il-Wied tal-Madonna should be renamed Il-Wied tal-Biki. A nine-storey tower crane has been installed in an area earmarked for two storeys. Even the case officer recommended a refusal, but a closer look at the name of the applicant reveals that it is the same notorious speculator who only a few years back decided that the valley would look better with an illegal dirt road from one side to the other.

How can the government possibly talk about alternative energy sources like photovoltaic panels on roofs when on every building application, the speculator gets an extra floor for two penthouses? Where are the occupants of all these apartments going to dry their laundry? They will use energy-consuming tumble driers? Should all these empty apartments ever be occupied, where will we get our water when the planet becomes even more fossil fuel-hungry?

How about the promised clean bus service? Every hour, 24 buses drive through our narrow main road, pouring clouds of exhaust at the grocers where we buy our fruit. We cannot even take our children shopping along the main road without putting handkerchiefs over their faces.