Opening a Lidl store in Gozo would cost more than 100 Gozitan jobs and fuel the exodus of the younger generation to Malta, Flimkien għall-Ambjent Aħjar said yesterday.
The Xewkija Lidl Retail Impact Assessment recently drawn up by Lidl’s consultants showed the proposed store would divert €1.81 million from grocery stores in Victoria and €3.17 million from village grocery stores, FAA said in a statement.
“The socio-environmental impact of the predicted closure of grocery outlets all over Gozo will be an enormous blow to elderly people and non-drivers.
“These shops are essential to the life of every village and of the vulnerable sectors of society,” the heritage organisation said.
FAA said allowing this to happen would breach the planning authority’s own urban conservation policy, which promoted the continued use of “small shops, including grocers, bakers and household goods, (which) contributed much to the character and vitality of these areas as places to live”.
The development would also go against the Structure Plan Policy because it would give an area known for its greenery the appearance of an industrial zone, FAA said.
This project will redirect shopping patterns to an out-of-town centre, significantly increasing traffic and vehicle emissions, the group said.
If approved, this outlet will inevitably be joined by satellite shops, merging Xewkija with Victoria in violation of Mepa’s own policy of preserving the distinctive identities of towns, according to FAA.
“Why ruin a green valley when Lidl could occupy the empty premises of Malta Dairy Products or the ex-ETC Centre right next door?” FAA asked.