Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this morning that he could not see how Mepa could be impartial in its considerations on the Zonqor Point site for the new university when it was the one which had pointed to the site in the first place.
Dr Busuttil was speaking during a meeting with a number of NGOs representing civil society in the opposition room of Parliament House.
Those present included representatives of Friends of the Earth, FAA, BirdLife, FKNK and the Noise Abatement Society.
Dr Busuttil reiterated the Opposition’s view that investment in education, and investment in the south of Malta were welcome, but virgin land should not be taken up. He said civil society should take the lead in objecting to the new university being sited on virgin land at Zonqor Point.
Marthese Portelli, shadow minister responsible for the environment, gave a presentation about the site and said the proposed development would be in direct conflict with the Malta South local plan which earmarked the area from Zonqor to Xaghjra as a natural park.
PL REACTS
In a reaction, the Labour Party said Dr Busuttil was trying to ride on the concerns of some people on the university project in order to score political points.
Yet he was not able to come up with viable alternatives for the project .
The party claimed Dr Busuttil did not want projects in the south of Malta, a region which was forgotten by the former government. For Dr Busuttil it was okay to site a dirty-fuel power station in the south, but not a university.
FKNK CALLS FOR ALTERNATIVE SITE
In a statement, the FKNK hunters' federation said it was appealing to the government to consider all possibilities for the proposed university to be built in another area so that agricultural land would not be lost.
"The FKNK appeals to Government, as well as to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) to ensure that all necessary environmental impact assessments are carried out, such that the objectives of opportunity for educational development are not lost, however, without causing irreversible damage to our natural environment.
"As for the establishment of a Nature Park, also part of the project, the FKNK awaits a meeting with the competent authorities so as to obtain further details about this development."