Monday, 9th June 2008
Ħondoq ir-Rummien project
Government gives €10,000 to local council for technical study
The government has decided to grant €10,000 to the Qala local council to carry out a critical technical analysis of the environmental impact assessment made for the controversial Ħondoq ir-Rummien marina development.
The financial help, which the small Gozitan council is hoping will give it technical ammunition against the project, sets a precedent for the central administration in helping local councils fighting such battles.
The council had written to the Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry in April, pointing out that it was facing an unfair battle against the developers behind the Ħondoq project considering the council's meager financial resources.
The council had been informed that two technical reports they had requested in order to rebut two of the seven areas of the EIA, would cost €10,000 - the equivalent of the council's entire budget for this year.
"It was obvious at this point that if we didn't get any financial help we would have had an unfair disadvantage in respect of the developers," mayor Paul Buttigieg told The Times.
The ministry handed over the necessary funds last week, on condition that the experts writing the report are chosen through the standard government procurement procedures.
The mayor conceded that the reports could end up confirming the EIA findings, which in general supports the project.
However, he said the council has serious doubts about the social study and the traffic impact assessment contained within the EIA.
"We want the reports to analyse these two areas of the EIA because we seriously question them, especially the social study," he said.
The controversy surrounding the project is long standing. In fact, when it was first proposed in 2002, the Qala local council had even held a referendum, spearheaded by parish priest Fr Karm Refalo, whereby 85 per cent of the residents voted to keep Ħondoq ir-Rummien bay free of development.
The plans were then stalled for some years but in 2006 the proposal reappeared in the form of a mega-project, which includes a hotel, 285 residential units and villas as well as the highly-contentious yacht marina. The local council has been battling it ever since.
"We're very pleased with the government's decision," Mr Buttigieg said. "Whatever the outcome, the Qala residents and the people in general will be in a better position to evaluate the pros and cons of this development."
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Comments
Hondoq is such a beautiful place. It is not just used by thousands of people every summer for swimming but also it is a place where thousands of others every year use hondoq as an area where they have their barbeques, go diving, walk around the area, have family gatherings, camp, also local residents have their village activities, windsurfing tournaments, and simply relax in a tranquil atmosphere.
The majority of people agree that it should be turned into a national park as was proposed in the 2002 local plan (but 'mysteriously' changed in 2006).
The way life has become so stressed, Hondoq IS NEEDED as a place where one can find a spot for peace and quiet.
Even Dr Gonzi made it clear lately that no building should be allowed ODZ, except for special cases like farms. So why does MEPA, instead of blocking the project, continue making pressure on the local council to waste further resources on such a destructive case?
I don't live in Gozo and therefore I don't have a vote, at least not from the point of view of local elections. What I do have is what I would call the tourist vote. If the Maltese Government and their front line troops in Mepa continue to destroy the natural beauty of the islands to appease rich developers then I will be looking for somewhere else to take my holidays.
My message to the Government and Mepa is a simple one; stop building things that are not required and start fixing up the thousands of empty properties that form a scar on the local landscape.
Get off your cushion warmers guys and make sure that NO developments in ODZ areas are even accepted, let alone considered.
Hondoq is really one of the few places that local folk can visit and enjoy without the pollution of too much traffic and too many people. It is almost perfect , the sea is almost unpolluted - leave it alone.
It would be an absolute disaster to develop it !!!!
Sincerely
Cultural and Agro tourism is a fast growing industry for Gozo both from the Maltese and Overseas markets. We cannot take them for granted. We need to protect all our heritage such as old temple sites and the environment. Some temple sites in Gozo are almost fully eroded and we should be totally ashamed with ourselves. We need to leave Gozo to our kids more beautiful than how we found it so we can also secure good tourism jobs for them in the future.
On another note: Is Government showing lack of trust in MEPA's EIA process? Isn't it farcical that consultants for EIA's are chosen by developers (and approved by MEPA).
Or is Government planning another neat exit out of this project, as was the case with the proposed golf course at Xaghra l-Hamra, following the strong opposition against the proposed development? In this case, another ecological victory would have been witnessed. So let's keep up the pressure!
Strong alliances, such as the victorious Front Kontra l-Golf Kors (1997-2004 - made up of over 20 organisations, against the Rabat Golf Course) are the way forward!