The Victoria local council is insisting on uprooting trees dating back more than 50 years in Gozo capital’s main square, and has now filed an appeal to remove the protected trees after being denied by the planning authority.

The council’s attempts to have the trees removed through a permit application to embellish Victoria’s Pjazza Indipendenza, known as It-Tokk, was in vain. The council wanted to uproot the trees and replace them with shrubs in planters.

The permit granted by the planning authority in 2013 for embellishment works on the square in the Urban Conservation Area only permitted sensitive pruning of the protected trees. Despite the Mepa ruling, the council started to implement its plans to uproot the trees at It-Tokk last autumn, claiming it was appealing this condition.

The pruning of the trees has jeopardised their survival

Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar instituted a prohibitory injunction against the planning authority during which Mepa confirmed it had no intention to allow the uprooting of trees.

Following this decision, the council carried out trenching works severing the main roots of the trees and leaving the rest exposed to the air, which is highly damaging.

The pruning of trees, as well as the damage done to the roots during embellishment works, have risked their future.

Last Thursday, Mepa heard the council’s appeal but the decision was postponed. The council was requested to validate its claims with more documents.

During the hearing, Mepa’s lawyer Anthony Degaetano challenged the reasons given by the council on the need to uproot the trees.

The council argued they were causing harm to archaeological remains and were damaging surrounding houses located nine metres away.

The claim was rebutted by Dr Degaetano who said he believed the truth was that surrounding commercial outlets wanted to set up more tables and chairs in the square. Mepa had received a petition organised by the council and signed by less than 20 people, most of them owners of the outlets surrounding the square, asking the planning authority to uproot the trees.

The trees’ survival remains at risk, however, after works resulted in severe damage.

The trees lining it-Tokk as they were 50 years ago.

An inspection by Alfred Baldacchino, former assistant director of Mepa’s environment protection directorate, and Ian Lansley, international arbor (tree) consultant, carried out last December revealed “serious and extensive” damage to the roots and branch structure.

“The destruction of the major root system has placed these trees in serious jeopardy,” the report stated.

The pruning of the trees has also jeopardised their survival, according to the report.

One of the trees has rotted away but nobody has been held responsible.

Mepa is waiting for the council to appoint consultants to draw up reports, which has taken months.