FAA praises planning authority

The outspoken environmental lobby group Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar has praised the planning authority for its "increased sensitivity to public interest and... a social conscience".

Usually at the receiving end of hard criticism from FAA, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority was praised for recent decisions such as the one it took on May 6, when it refused permission for industrial garages to be built in Magħtab even though the site had been granted an outline permit by the previous Mepa board.

The proposed development, which included the demolition of a disused rabbit farm and the construction of industrial premises, was deemed by the Mepa board to go against the public interest as it did not respect planning policies.

"If approved, the project would have extended the hardship and health hazards that Magħtab residents endured for years on end and which should have ended with the rehabilitation of the landfill," FAA said. The group pointed out another decision regarding the proposed building of a supermarket right across the Xewkija valley. The supermarket was planned within the building line but the car park would have fallen outside the development zone, stretching across fertile agricultural land.

Unlike previous permits granted outside development zones, such as the one for the Lidl complex in Safi, the planning board ruled that the supermarket was to be built strictly within the building line with the car park accommodated underground or at roof level and as long as the roof of the development also integrated a public garden.

The group also mentioned an application in which the authority dismissed a request for the demolition of a house overlooking Spinola Bay, which the group described as neo-Gothic in style.

"It is gratifying to note that, in spite of the many precedents in the area, Mepa dismissed this application," FAA said while calling for the scheduling and restoration of what are possibly the only surviving original houses in Il-Qaliet close to St Julians.

The group also urged the authorities to release the financial assistance to owners of scheduled houses promised in the last budget.

While appreciating the authority's efforts for reform, FAA said such change of attitude would only really be proven with the adjudication of projects where large speculative interests were at stake, such as the proposals for a yacht marina at Ħondoq ir-Rummien.