Wied il-Ghasel works should stop until appeal is decided - Deidun
Works at Wied il-Ghasel should be stopped while an appeal was being considered, environmentalist and MEP candidate Alan Deidun said.
“The decision to allow works to proceed despite the appeal having been postponed and is still to be heard instills a lack of confidence in Joe Citizen about the planning process,” he said.
Mr Deidun said in a statement that a lot had been mooted about the pending reform at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority which was at cabinet stage.
This reform, he said, should iron out anomalies such as that allowing the works to continue when these were being appealed.
“Otherwide, appeals are meant to be clawless and toothless,” he argued.
Mr Deidun said that permit in question would set a precedent by opening the floodgates to further development along valleysides reducing them to mere watercourses, hemmed in from all sides, with no ecological or landscape value.
This had already happened to valleys in San Gwann, Mellieha and Birkirkara.
One hoped, Mr Deidun said, that the upcoming reform would empower residents, NGO’s, councils and the planning appeal process and that it would afford longer times for objections to be filed and representations to be made.
“I make these comments as a committed environmentalist and not as an MEP candidate since I staunchly believe that those tainted politically should never interfere in the planning process, in spite of not agreeing with decisions taken,” he said.
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Ray Sultana
May 18th 2009, 16:13
In this country the Speculator comes first and foremost.
Planning appeals are a farce. What's the use of planning appeals if the appeals are conveniently postponed until the speculator has destroyed everything?
We need the Mepa reform NOW!!
K. Tanti
May 18th 2009, 09:03
I cannot agree more with Mr. Fenech's and Mr. Cremona's comments. we are destroying our own country at such a rate that i shudder at the thought of what the state of our countryside will be in, say, 10 years time.
that is why i sincerely think Malta needs environmentalists (real ones) like Alan Deidun who can represent us on a European level and make our voice heard.
keep up the good work alan.
laurence schembri
May 18th 2009, 08:44
If Alan Deidun wants to be taken seriously,he ought take a closer look at his adopted village, Gudja, to see the destruction of beautiful houses with mature gardens turning into a hideous blocks of concrete. Three sites with no more than 50 metres of space in between them, blocking light and air to their neighbours. From one garden alone over fifteen citrus and small fruit trees were uprooted, in their place we are regaled with a four storey block of concrete plus a Penthouse (5) in all. Never mind Wied il-Ghasel, take a closer look at where you live.
Stephen Borg Cardona
May 17th 2009, 11:52
Keep up the good work Alan.
Muscat.Pat
May 17th 2009, 10:00
"Ma min rajtek xebbahtek".If you can't beat them,well, JOIN THEM!
Charles Flores
May 17th 2009, 09:38
Alan Deidun seems to be caught in a quandary. His pro-environment credentials cannot be questioned, but his decision to contest the EU elections on behalf of a party that, held at ransom by well-known developers, has to date shamelessly destroyed half the Island's environment, hardly makes any sense. Is he a wolf in sheep's clothing or is he in the wrong party?
Marco Cremona
May 17th 2009, 09:07
@ Joe Fenech.
You have hit the nail on the head.
If we're not able to generate awareness about the things we can see (like valleys) how can we generate any awareness about our 'hidden' environmental resources such as groundwater, on which our very existence depends?
If you had to see the state of groundwater you'll weep. Government knows this and yet is 'water' on the national agenda? NO. It is more politically comfortable to do nothing and pass on the problem to future generations.
maria curmi
May 17th 2009, 07:35
Confidence in Joe Citizen about the planning process what a joke what about Armier Torri l-abjad and all the jungle huts in area
Anthony Mizzi
May 16th 2009, 23:23
All Pre-electoral theatrics by Mr. Deidun. With his statement that works at Wied il-Ghasel should be stopped while an appeal was being considered.
This development should not even have started or considered. But MEPA is in the firm hands and control of Dr. Laurence Gonzi, Leader of the Party with which Mr. Deidun is contesting.
Must be another case of Dr. Gonzi ‘s lose of control., even in the environment sector, like the extension of the ODZ, he approved in the pre-electoral vote catching exercise before the last General election.
Reforms seem to be only up coming with Gonzipn especially in election campaigns, like this long-coming MEPA reform which tends to slow down or stop once election date is passed .
Mr. Deidun should have come out and spoken earlier, not that much earlier about a year ago when Dr. Gonzi extended the ODZ zones. Wied il-Ghasel is a result of these extensions and has become GHASEL for land speculators.
Moira Heath
May 16th 2009, 22:49
@Joe Fenech
No need for the brackets, Joe. The Maltese are Malta's worst enemy, imbasta kulhadd jghajjat Viva Malta.
Joe Fenech
May 16th 2009, 20:45
This is a soul-less country destined for (self-)destruction
Rudolf Degiorgio
May 16th 2009, 18:07
Another election GIMMICK by Gonzi & Co.
Marco Cremona
May 16th 2009, 18:02
Good for you, Alan.
I suggest you cite the Nadur-Cemetery development as the perfect example to show how the MEPA-appeals process is seriously flawed. Indeed it is a farce.
1. An application for the development of an extravagant cemetery on pristine land is submitted, and the farmers who work the land in the immediate vicinity are not informed
2. MEPA decides that an EIA is NOT necessary for this development (but an extension of Addolorata on land committed for development somehow reqires an EIA!!)
3. MEPA and MRA decide that a hydrological study conducted by a geologist commissioned by the developer- which study concludes that the water in the area will not be affected by the development - suffices.
4. The development is approved and excavation works get underway.
5. The farmers appeal. After the first rains, the farmers' springs turn milky-white.
6. The construction works continue; the farmers' water supply continues to deteriorate and the MEPA-appeal is still dragging on, more than 18 months since the works started and more than a year since the appeal was lodged.
It seems that the MEPA appeals process is 'clawless and toothless' by design.