Christian Peregin
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.
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darren frendo
Dec 16th 2008, 11:45
I beleive that the idea to have a sustainable development in Atttard as well as all other localities is good. However I m very upset at Mr david Agius s idea of objecting to each and every application. What is mr Agius trying to achieve surely not votes i must say! What mr agius is not calculating in his under thought statement is that many families who have already sold their property for development, are waiting for the permits and therefore cannot sign the contract and have entered into an agreement to purchase a property elsewhere are going to lose their deposit and this will severly hinder these families. Is that what mr agius wants for our families? He should seriously start to evaluate such statements before he jumps to such radical suggestions.
Jonathan Borg
Dec 14th 2008, 12:44
I used to live in Attard (tal-Mirakli) but moved away long ago. Earlier this year I was appalled to see my old street turned into another flat-infested neighbourhood. Interesting proposals by two junior MPs, particularly the call to "residents to resist the temptation to sell their properties in order to stop the cycle". What's wrong with this statement? Right-wing politics favour free-market conditions - and in a free market, everyone is free to act according to his own best interests, not that of society - that would be a socialist approach. Is someone sitting on the wrong side of the room?