I refer to the letter ‘How low can the Planning Authority go?’ by Astrid Vella, co-ordinator of Flimkien għal Ambjient Aħjar, (The Sunday Times of Malta, July 24). She certainly pulled no punches and I fully support her.
She wiped the floor with the chairman of the Planning Commission, who has some explaining to do for omitting all the restrictive provisions of the document in question and following only the permissive ones in the developer’s favour.
Minimum frontage widths of six metres were reduced by half and good neighbourliness considerations were conveniently ignored.
Parking requirements were also leniently considered and all references to the character of the surroundings fell by the wayside.
The case had been pre-judged. The objectors’ pleas were coming in from one ear and out of the other. The mayor of Lija, who attended the sitting, was deeply disappointed.
As a retired town planner and development controller I am saddened to see such a degradation in the profession. Tongue in cheek, I had once quoted George Bernard Shaw’s “Ours is not a profession, ours is a conspiracy”. Straws in the wind confirm this dictum. The area is already full of sales adverts. Citizens who used to look to the Planning Authority for protection have to pool in and collect funds to protect themselves from the same authority. What a shame!