Marsa council laments lack of consultation
The Marsa local council should have been consulted on the plans for Menqa before the master plan, unveiled last week, was finalised, the mayor said.
"It is useless to spend money on a master plan and then have to make changes if some things are unacceptable," Francis Debono said.
He said the council had been trying to secure a meeting with Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt for more than eight months but this was never forthcoming.
Earlier, the local council said in a statement that, while it was in favour of any projects in the run-down area, it could not accept that it had not been consulted or invited for the project's presentation last Friday afternoon.
The ministry replied that the master plan was up for consultation and an exhibition of the designs was being held at the Malta Maritime Authority offices.
However, when contacted, Mr Debono insisted consultation should have taken place before the master plan was unveiled.
He also said the project should start as soon as possible and not allow two years to go by before work started. The council was in favour of any project in the area.
The ministry said the council seemed to have forgotten that when the government launched its vision for Grand Harbour in September 2007 it had invited all local councils involved to a detailed presentation. The Marsa council had not attended, the ministry said.
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J Martinelli
Jul 10th 2009, 23:58
Galea L
Can you read simple plain English?
The Marsa Council was invited but did NOT show up - almost 2 years ago.
You think that the Minister is wasting his time consulting with someone who is not the least interested, otherwise would have shown up in the first place?
Go learn some manners Mister Galea L. You don't even know the meaning of 'courtesy'.
Galea. L
Jul 10th 2009, 18:43
J Martinelli I think that it is YOU and the other pn apologists who are living in bubbles Martinelli. Local Governments have a RIGHT to be consulted on projects and everything that is going to be made or projected in their locality. That is even simply courtesy, Martinelli, but Gonzi and his ministers do not even know what courtesy is.
J Martinelli
Jul 10th 2009, 15:33
Does the Marsa LC live in a bubble?
Are they contradicting what Minister Austin Gatt said that the council was invited to a meeting in September 2007 regarding the regeneration plan of the harbour areas and they failed to show up?
Going by memory, was that not also the time when the Marsa LC was foaming at the mouth about the 'polluting' incinerator which was starting up?
So, Austin Gatt was stood up and that's OK and according to Marsa LC (apparently), it is not OK for the Minister to leave them out of the loop! Some cheek.
Then, in the same statement, the Mayor insists that the project (on which no consultation with him took place) should proceed immediately and not wait two years for implementation!
Gianninu Saliba
Jul 10th 2009, 12:04
Again I say: "Hawwadni ha nifmhek". One minute these labourites claim that they were not consulted (and in the same breath, indirectly admit that they are in favour of the project) and the next we find out that they were consulted way back in 2007. Of course, the reason why they never contributed to the consultation process was, believe it or not... they failed to attend. This reminds me that Labour had something to say about the MEPA reform plans, but they never wanted to be involved in the planning process. So now we understand what Joseph means by his earthquake..."hawwadni ha nifmhek".