2,500 outside development zone permits issued in two years
FAA calls for review of recent Mepa permits
The environment NGO Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) has called for a re-examination of permits issued recently by Mepa in the wake of the Mistra case.
"Despite the Structure Plan's guidelines that new developments in the countryside should be limited to essential structures, more than 2,500 permits have been issued outside the Development Zone over the last two years. Over the last few months hundreds of MEPA applications for sensitive areas like Urban Conservation Areas and Out of Development Zone (countryside) were submitted and permits issued," it said, mentioning the Safi supermarket as an example.
"This begs the question of whether the DCC boards have been fulfilling their brief to protect the environment, and FAA therefore call for a re-examination of all permits granted over the last three months," the FAA said.
"The public has every reason to ask whether it is right that DCC board members taking arbitrary and damaging decisions can then simply resign without having to give an account of themselves or bearing any responsibility."
The NGO also asked how the Malta Tourism Authority is allowed to short-circuit the planning process by holding negotiations on tourism projects with Mepa officials out of the public eye.
It said that on enquiring for information on the DCC A's decision on the Mistra permit, Mepa officials evaded FAA's questions on the composition of the DCC A Board and claimed that they had no way of knowing how each member voted.
"It is hard to believe that Mepa does not keep minutes of meetings or records of votes. Failure to keep such a record or failure to divulge it, violates the spirit, if not the letter of the 'no secret vote' provision," the FAA said.
"Given the Prime Minister's call for greater transparency at Mepa, we are very surprised by this reply and have no choice but to say that such an attitude and such officials have no place in a reformed Mepa."
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9 Comments
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Astrid Vella
Mar 25th 2008, 14:57
What does a letter written by Mr. Victor Laiviera quoting Din l-Art Helwa have to do with Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar? DLH does not speak for FAA, just as we would never presume to speak for any other NGO.
As I highlighted below, far from being silenced, FAA issued double the number of Press Releases during run-up to the election.
The fact is that Mr. Laiviera is determined to discredit environment NGOs because they refuse to play his petty political game. As far as FAA is concerned this discussion is closed.
Victor Laiviera
Mar 25th 2008, 12:36
Ms Vella claims that the FAA does not have a political agenda. I never said it did. However I am convinced that it lets politics effect its environmental agenda.
And I think is showed this clearly in a letter to The Times which may be viewed here:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080229/letters/less-vociferous-ngos/
Astrid Vella
Mar 25th 2008, 02:47
Re the comments below I would like to clarify that this information came to us a week ago and in fact we have since learnt that the 2,500 ODZ permits were issued in three years and not two.
Comments like 'FAA has finally woken up' indicates that the writers either do not follow the media regularly or wish to politicise the issue. In the first nine weeks of this year until 8.03.08 FAA issued 12 press releases compared to five during the same period last year. These PRs included very hard-hitting issues like the threat to our water supplies, dangers posed by building sites, and the resignation of the MEPA Deputy Chairman which was incidentally triggered by FAA's doggedly following the case. ODZ issues were again raised in our PR of the Safi Supermark.
I would like to point out however, that while FAA does not have a political agenda, nor does it have a monopoly on raising awareness on the state of the environment. It is too easy to sit back and expect NGOs to do all the work. We all have to do our bit. If those who have written here were to do so more constructively by writing letters to the media and helping Malta's different NGOs, the outcome would be much more fruitful I'm sure.
c busuttil
Mar 24th 2008, 15:30
this has always been public information
emanuel buttigieg
Mar 24th 2008, 15:00
FAA finally woke up! How about the Church Commission for Environment? Will they keep their mouth shut even after the election is over, Dear Archbishop the church missed to prove that it is abiding by Christ rules and missed its model role in the environmental issue. It is never too late ta act.
M. Brincat
Mar 24th 2008, 14:16
Sorry ... make that 3 weeks ago ... LAPSUS! :p
M. Brincat
Mar 24th 2008, 13:50
Knowledge of "more than 2,500 permits have been issued outside the Development Zone over the last two years" now causes bewilderment.
Knowledge of this same information 2 weeks ago could have shifted the electoral result upside down.
Kenneth Hall
Mar 24th 2008, 10:07
Where where FAA before the election and for how long ago did they have this information?
Victor Laiviera
Mar 24th 2008, 09:02
It would seem that the FAA has finally woken up from it's self-induced pre-election stupor.
Pity it did not happen earlier - they might have been able to do something to save Dwejra from becoming (officially) a boathouse-slum.