Walling off vacant sites in urban areas - July 17, 2008

I am quoting from a press release issued by Mepa in March 2007 with regard to vacant sites in urban areas:

"The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa), together with the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment and all local councils, is addressing the environmental and safety impact vacant sites create. When unattended, these vacant plots result in negative environmental and safety impacts and render an area unsightly and potentially hazardous. The walling off of vacant sites within the development boundary scheme, which are creating these hazards, will now be enforced. The corner site between Triq Reggie Miller and Triq Emanuel Giordano in Gżira is one of such sites, which has been left open and full of construction rubbish, despite several reports to both Mepa and the local council. Correspondence on the matter with Mepa dates back to about 10 years. Recent correspondence with the local council remains unanswered.

It seems that the press release was just a PR exercise and not an initiative towards reducing the inconvenience of vacant sites in urban areas. In the meantime, the residents of the surrounding area will continue to live in hope that one day they stop being taken for a ride by politicians, local councils and environmental agencies.