Lobby groups ask PM to halt Baħrija valley development

Three environmental organisations have called for the Prime Minister's urgent intervention to stop the construction of a house in Baħrija valley belonging to Nationalist Party president Victor Scerri.

The Ramblers' Association, Nature Trust and Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar condemned the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's "flagrant disregard of the structure plan and its policies".

They said its website cited the valley as a special area of conservation for its ecological and scientific importance under the Habitats Directive, pointing out that the "valley system supports typical watercourse vegetation and several rare and endangered species ..." The watercourse was also classified as "one of the most important freshwater habitats in the Maltese islands".

The organisations said they could not understand how the permit allowed construction on the valley floor, two metres away from the watercourse.

They said the construction would ruin the scenic value of the pristine valley and the negative impact would be aggravated by the infrastructural works as the site was only served by a concrete country road.

The architect overseeing the development, Robert Musumeci, said the new development would replace an old and dangerous residence. It would be built further up the watercourse than the structure it would replace and would have a lesser environmental impact.

No objections had been lodged and the development permit process was completely transparent, formal and legal and there were no grounds to instil doubts when none were justified, Mr Musumeci said.