Attard residents scream out: 'Stop the construction'
Nationalist MP calls on public to object to every application
Excessive and uncontrolled construction in Attard is eating into the town's character, leading to traffic congestion and property devaluation, according to the local council and residents.
At a well-attended press conference yesterday, representatives of the political parties criticised developers.
They called for a revision of the central local plan - which expired on August 3 - in consultation with the local council and residents.
Many home owners are being asked to sell their terraced houses, so that they can be replaced with apartment blocks. According to the local council, many have been driven out due to the level of construction.
Many houses have been dwarfed by high rise buildings and the privacy of a lot families is also being infringed, the residents said.
Local councillor Marco Spiteri said that construction laws were not being enforced, resulting in damage to infrastructure like roads and pavements.
"We are not against sustainable development, we are against overdevelopment," he said.
Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar spokesman Astrid Vella emphasised that construction was a problem being faced by all towns and villages in Malta. But she praised the local council and political parties for their courage in speaking out against such development.
She said many residents were losing their basic rights to clean air and adequate lighting. Ms Vella also called for all developments and permits to be withheld until the new central local plan was revised.
Nationalist MP David Agius called for a radical approach to objecting to permits. He said everyone should put forward a nominal objection to every single permit so that if a problem crops up later on, they have a right to make their voices heard. The current system stipulates that only those making their objections in the first two weeks of an application have a chance to voice their opinions. Another Nationalist MP, Charlo Bonnici, called on residents to resist the temptation to sell their properties in order to stop the cycle.