A tract of garigue land in Qawra has been cleared of all vegetation to make space for a bumping cars track, sparking the ire of Nature Trust and the owners of a public aquarium adjacent to the site.
How can Mepa make a condition for us to protect the area then give permission to someone to cut up all the vegetation?
As the vegetation was being destroyed on Saturday, Nature Trust said it was “shocked” at the destruction of the area, the obliteration of indigenous plants and the covering of an entrenchment of historic value to make space for an amusement park.
“It appears that this activity has been given all the necessary permits by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.
“It is appalling that land clearance in such a sensitive site has been given priority over the resident species by the same authority that is supposed to be there to protect the environment,” Nature Trust said.
The NGO’s president, Vince Attard, told Times of Malta he would be trying to get to the bottom of the case this week to understand why Mepa gave its green light.
He said the nearby aquarium was already a concern but, at least, it was built on a rocky area, not the site most rich in vegetation.
He added that, while Mepa was all eyes on the aquarium site, it seemed to give little importance to the more sensitive area next door.
Qawra residents who walked past the site yesterday and spoke to Times of Malta did not seem as concerned, pointing out that the area had been used as an amusement park before and was already quite a mess.
But Mr Attard said it was not fair to disturb a site that was rich in biodiversity and then stop protecting it because it was disturbed land.
Salvu Ellul, director of Marine Aquatic, which is building the Malta National Aquarium, said Mepa had told the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) that it could not build on the area covered in vegetation.
In fact, MTA stipulated in its contractual agreement with Marine Aquatic that the area concerned is “managed”, according to Mr Ellul.
“Then, one fine morning, we see a truck and a motorised grass cutter clearing the site to make it convenient for the amusement park owners,” he said.
Marine Aquatic was also responsible for restoring the entrenchment – a wall of historic value built at the time of the Knights for coastal defence purposes – that would now be given no protection by the bumping cars attraction.
“How can Mepa first make a condition for us to manage and protect the area and then give permission to someone else to cut up all the vegetation? It is quite strange,” added Mr Ellul.
Contacted yesterday, a spokesman for Mepa said he would look into the case today to see whether a temporary permit had been granted and, if so, whether the conditions of the permit were respected.
cperegin@timesofmalta.com