The planning authority yesterday published two studies into land reclamation after Labour leader Joseph Muscat in the morning claimed the authority was suppressing documents favouring this sort of development.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority, Dr Muscat claimed, faced pressure not to publish reports that suggested certain projects with an element of land reclamation could be carried out sustainably.
The authority said it had in its possession two studies, one dating back to 2005 that explored the idea of disposing construction waste at sea, and another done in 2007 exploring the feasibility of land reclamation at two specific areas. However, it denied that the studies were drawn up in relation to “certain projects” and could therefore not conclude that “certain projects with a land reclamation component can be done without damage to the environment”.
It also rejected the idea that it was facing pressure not to release the reports and published them online yesterday afternoon.
Dr Muscat ventured again into the controversial subject earlier in response to questions by The Times as he received a delegation from the environmental and heritage lobby group Din L-Art Ħelwa.
Some years back, studies commissioned by the authority had poured cold water on the notion of land reclamation.
But Dr Muscat insisted the reports in question had not dismissed land reclamation itself but rather the viability of some projects.
“We believe Mepa should not get into questions of viability but should be concerned instead with whether a project is feasible from a planning and environmental point of view,” he said, pointing out that Malta already had a list of such projects under its belt, ranging from the Freeport to the more recent Excelsior Hotel.
Real estate projects involving land reclamation could ease the pressure off construction proposals outside development zones, he insisted. “The important thing is not to create so many thousands of square metres and then figure out later what to do with them but rather have a masterplan beforehand,” Dr Muscat said.
Asked whether Labour envisioned any specific use for such reclamation projects, Dr Muscat referred to the interest there had been over the years in the development of yacht marinas in Malta.
The Environment Ministry last night rubbished Dr Muscat’s reasoning, saying development zones contained sufficient area to satisfy building requirements. His proposal would lead to unsustainable and irresponsible development, it said.