Outline permit granted for supermarket on virgin land near Xewkija - FAA

Environment NGO Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar complained today over the way the government is planning to build hundreds of units for social housing when thousands of properties remain empty all over Malta.

It also protested over continued building on virgin land, on the strength of the Rational Exercise of 2006 and local plans.

The NGO noted that this morning MEPA's Environment and Planning Commission had no choice but to approve the Outline Development Permit for a supermarket on agricultural land the Xewkija Valley, since this was designated as a development zone in the Local Plans, even though much of the Industrial Estate just across the road is empty and neglected. These changes to the Local Plans will also accommodate another supermarket, Lidl, which has also applied for a permit on agricultural land four sites away in the same valley.

In this way, FAA said, developers who bought cheap ODZ land before August 2006 were now sitting on a goldmine, having been accommodated by the Rationalisation and Local Plans.

"Although Gozo is one-third the size of Malta, it received 30% of the designations to transfer ODZ to developable land, just before the Eco-Gozo concept was announced."

SOCIAL HOUSING

FAA noted that tomorrow the MEPA Board will be considering an application for the building of 46 apartments and garages in a  valley at Luqa.

"This valley full of protected carobs and dry stone walls was taken over as developable in the Rationalisation Plans. Facing the valley are rows of unsold new apartments," the NGO said. 

Furthermore, it had been informed that Mepa was considering permits for hundreds of social housing units.

"FAA echoes the Developers' Association in calling for the purchase of available low-cost housing from existing excess stock rather than adding to the housing glut," the NGO said.

"Why should we be wasting our taxes to destroy the countryside, when 76,000 units lie vacant?

It said the purchase of vacant dwellings would benefit all sectors of the country, including the financial sector which is struggling with an increased rate of defaulting loans.