Dwejra sanctioning a do or die decision, green groups say

The planning authority's decision on whether to sanction illegal Dwejra boathouses would either prove its credentials or continue transforming the bay into a "shanty town", six environmental groups said yesterday.

The board of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority is today expected to decide whether to sanction six boathouses, an extension to a bar, extensions to two boathouses and a fishery store in Dwejra.

"This hearing will be the test for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to show its credentials," the environmental groups said.

BirdLife Malta, Friends of the Earth, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Gaia, NatureTrust and the Ramblers Association said they would not attend the meeting in protest against the way Mepa processed development applications.

If the illegal buildings were sanctioned, then Mepa would reduce this "supposedly protected area to a shanty town" and ridicule the government's promise of eco-Gozo, they said.

Din l-Art Ħelwa said the illegal buildings degraded the area's natural beauty and unique landscape with its rare geological features.

It pointed out that the Mepa reform had clearly recognised the need to end sanctioning and these words had to be put into action.

DLĦ also noted that Mepa recently gave the green light to an unnecessarily large interpretation centre at Dwejra, which, following Ħaġar Qim, was yet another oversized visitor centre in a scheduled area.

It urged Mepa to live up to promises by protecting the countryside and safeguard ecologically-sensitive areas around Dwejra, which was also designated as a nature park.

The issue of sanctioning the illegal structures is not a recent one. In February 2008, a number of environmental groups had protested loudly against the approval of about 20 applications to sanction illegal structures in Dwejra. Mepa had defended its decision, saying it formed part of a process that went back to 2005, called the Dwejra Heritage Park Action Plan, to stop hunting and dumping in the area, among other things.