Residents against proposed Qormi development

B.Cremona

Jun 28th 2009, 05:38

Are you confident that MEPA reform will succeed?

Poll of the week? Joke of the week more likely :)

T. Aquilina

Jun 27th 2009, 20:32

Our Heritage vs Flats - The Flats keep winning.

darren cassar

Jun 27th 2009, 19:49

GONZI does not have any power on MEPA.
MEPA is a state within a state. The biggest mistake was done when it was created.

alex grech

Jun 27th 2009, 19:17

I think time has come to set up an organisation to publish property details in a black book with the main aim is to let the public (with moral) know that the property that they are buying has erase part of our history and culture values whilst being built, in this way we can give the respected public what MEPA cannot protect.

Stephen Borg Cardona

Jun 27th 2009, 18:54

Shame on MEPA and on the Government ! Promises promises.......................

Charles Micallef

Jun 27th 2009, 18:54

This is the reason why some Architects, who should know better and who are constantly damaging politics and their respective political parties, by filing a number of different small applications which they kept changing over the months making it difficult to keep track and confuse the general public.

And some call this earning an honest crust, my left foot more like it !!!!

paul mizzi

Jun 27th 2009, 18:26

the rape continues...

Ray Sultana

Jun 27th 2009, 18:03

The rape of Malta continues, nothing is sacred anymore!

Speculators and architects keep on appplying for permits that should never even be considered yet Mepa continues to approve these scandalous permits at a shocking rate.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister, who has a mandate (hence political responsibility) to stop this disaster, once again is silent, letting down all those who believed in his promises.

SHAME!

Margaret Spiteri

Jun 27th 2009, 18:01

A couple of days ago you carried an article by MEPA on Ghammieri's Australian Bungalow. The information given must be pretty old. Since this Australian Bungalow a schedule 2 building is in dire need of repair. Most of the wooden beams and part of the structure has been attacked by termites and were it not for the immediate attention of the maintanence section at Ghammieri it would long have collapsed. No one is using the building and recently a MEPA photographer took several photos of this structure. So it was very surprising to read the a.m. article. It's either MEPA is completely out of touch with reality or else it wants to hoodwink the general public into thinking that it's empire is intact. Several initiatives taken by MRRA workers to rehabilitate this unique structure have stuck as no founds are available. Approximately Euro 150,000 are required to preserve it. Maybe Mr. Walker (MEPA) might find the money to bring this bungalow back to live.

Edward Mallia

Jun 27th 2009, 17:28

The device of hiding developments behind high walls mentioned in the Qormi armoury case may have reached its perverse peak at Ta' Baldu, between Dingli and Imtahleb. Fixed to a a high well-restored rubble wall (of doubtful legality), there is a PA notice asking for sanction of an existing gate and permission for two more. One existing gate blocks out any view of what lies behind it; another existing gate has a paved roadway going off the public road without any indication of going into private property. All is revealed from a different viewpoint: behind the high rubble wall there is an extensive hacienda, nicely done up in the red ochre used for church domes. There is record of an application to MEPA for a F/H, not a very accurate description of what is there. There is a record of a 2004 complaint by Nature Trust to MEPA pointing out that "a rural room and rubble wall have already been demolished" and of other complaints including one of blocking a public roadway. There are also unofficial reports of wedding receptions being held on "the estate".

G Seychell

Jun 27th 2009, 17:20

@ Michael Seychell

Did you know that politicians are common people,like me and you ?

Vincent Portelli

Jun 27th 2009, 16:38

@ Michael Seychell
If I were you i would just stick to your last appeal to Dr Gonzi to walk the talk on the MEPA reform and forget the others. As an active Nationalist I'm sure you know that most building irregularities concern either PN activists or PN-sympathisers among the privileged class of speculators/contractors/businessmen. Most of the latter happen to be the hard-core sponsors of the party in government and are all coming back for what they perceive is their due. Some call them the "hokkli-dari" people. I call them the privileged tier of our two-tier society..

Joseph V. Grech

Jun 27th 2009, 16:27

Could somebody please let me know who the learned Architect for this ''grand project at Qormi'' is?
''Architects filing different small applications which they keep changing making it difficult to keep track.'' - how VERY TRUE AND HOW SCANDALOUS!
The P.M. and government see speculators destroying what little is left of our cultural and environmental heritage - and they do nothing - on the excuse that they won't interfere in MEPA's work! How's that for political laissez faire and unaccountability?
Sadly the P.M. is doing this knowing very well that MEPA is presently very sick - so much so that he will soon be introducing much-needed reform into this ''Authority''. If MEPA is ''sick'' (for which read ''riddled by abuse'') then it cannot presently do its work - therefore the P.M. should do its work himself until such time as MEPA is revitalised (so to speak!)

Carmel Spiteri

Jun 27th 2009, 16:26

In response to P.Schembri regarding his comment "would you have complained if the political personality was from your side" , I like to ask, "Can Maltese ever be one nation, can Maltese for once look from outside in, can Maltese ever mature, why is it that everything has to be seen through a political spyglass? When a permit is given for any project, it is a goverment official that represent all Maltese that ultimately issues it. Once a heritage site is destroyed, it can never come back.. Why is it then, that we pretend with foreigners that we are so proud of our heritage? Shame on all of us who participate in hate mongering.

Maltese Canadian looking out side in.

Bjorn Bonello

Jun 27th 2009, 15:46

@M.Seychell-I would rather leave planners out of it since we surely are not in any alleged web given that our profession is not yet OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED, an issue which I hope will be addressed by the reform if anything is to work!! we have always warned against such things and maybe some of the bloggers may be interested in reading the press releases in http://www.kmap.org.mt
I think it is time that NGOs band together to promote the recognition of the planning professions and persuade government that only those truly learned in planning can restore balance to the current dire situation.
Periti and political appointees have been at it since 1967 so why not give a chance to a profession whose expertise is precisely planning. If we are to have sustainable development this is the only solution.Instead of 'misjudged decisions', precedents and percieved rights ,we must seek justice, goodwill, equility and reason.would you trust your life in the hands of a qualified doctor or one that read a couple of books about medicine??? So why not trust sustainable development in the hands of qualified, warranted planners!!!!!
I trust NGOs will help us, to date only FAA seems to recognise this fact!

Oscar Cassar

Jun 27th 2009, 15:26

Why should politicians not attend for such conferences? Aren’t they Public figures? Isn’t such a matter of public concern?

If I may ask… my concern is why such pressure was not instigated by the Mayer and his Local Council? He is supposed to be the front runner in protecting our locality and in preserving the locality’s identity? Have our local government just lost its spark and motivation or is it that such an entity is a form of ‘silent partner’ with the entrepreneur of this project?

Another question is, why public gardens in Qormi are not scheduled like in the case of other localities such as Attard, Lija, Sliema etc? If such is true as Ms Astrid Vella said on site this morning, this is a shameful neglect by the Kunsill Lokali Qormi, most probably having members that simply view themselves and other residents in the same locality as 2nd class citizens, living in just an industrial locality, being one of the most polluted on the islands.

Oscar Cassar

Jun 27th 2009, 15:03

note also: www.l-orizzont.com/news.asp?newsitemid=53667

o mallia

Jun 27th 2009, 14:53

Same think had happened in St Paul’s Bay, The village core that use to be, from HSBC to the local council, it was removed and moved to the white house complex and a number of fields in the area (that it will take ages to be developed.) This does not make sense and no consultations from St Paul’s Bay was taken.

P. Schembri

Jun 27th 2009, 14:37

@Seychell. Would you have protested if the political personality was from your side? I'm sure you wouldn't have uttered a word! By the way Ms. Coleiro Preca hails from Qormi!

Henry J Bonett

Jun 27th 2009, 14:02

Mepa has placed itself in an excellent position to help government in its dire need to reign in expenses. Just disband Mepa, save a tidy sum as well as our historical stuctures., BUT, still hold personally responsible ALL those who have been so brazenly destroying our heritage.

Michael Seychell

Jun 27th 2009, 13:41

If what is stated in this news item is correct, than whilst I am not pointing a finger at any particular person, one is bound to ask whether or not a corrupt web has penetrated MEPA and other proffessional bodies or persons, such as speculators/developers, architects, planners, civil engineerrs, financial backers etc.

On the other hand what I harte in such cases is the plitical tint by the presence of a member of Parliament, and worse when this is also parrochial politics. I do not know whether the MP present was invited for this news conference or if she did so on her initiative, and nor do I know if there were other politicians invited or not.

In this context I am making three appeals - 1 - that environmental NGOs should ask politely politicians - that is MPs and National Political Party Officials- of whatever colour , not to attend for such conferences; 2 - I ask the government whether such case merits an independent investigation to see who was responsible to change an urban convservation area in a building area, - 3 - finally I appeal to Dr. Gonzi to conclude the MEPA reform asap.


Michael Seychell
Tal-Pieta