Sunday, 11th May 2008

Dismiss the proposed development at St Paul's Bay (1)

A. Portelli, San Gwann

Mepa application 4286/99 for a cliff-edge development in Triq it-Tonn, St Paul's Bay, has been refused. The refusal was subsequently confirmed at reconsideration stage. An appeal is now set for hearing on Friday (PA 92/04).

This process has, to date, been repeated five times, with the developer each time making minor changes to the previous application.

Not only is the applicant proposing to build on the very last remaining stretch of garigue in St Paul's Bay; he is also proposing to destroy in one fell swoop a stretch of land which is of archaeological importance, scheduled (second class), and a cliff area.

What is more, this proposed development is on land that is outside the development zone (ODZ).

I hope the Appeals Board will not rob us all of this gem of coastline. Now that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority is under the wing of the Prime Minister, we expect more transparency and justice where it is due. Surely there must be a way of stopping this application once and for all.

Comments

James A. Tyrrell (on 11/5/08)

This is something I can't understand about the Maltese development application process. The area in question is outside the development zone (ODZ), and the development has been refused 5 times to date. Surely therefore without some form of corrupt practice taking place between the developer and Mepa this application could never be passed. So if everything remains legal why keep trying?

With regard specifically to outside the development zone (ODZ) applications, they should not even be allowed to be submitted. Surely that is the whole idea of protecting an area with an ODZ boundary. Given that applications in these areas are at present allowed for some strange reason, no should mean no, and no further applications should be accepted.