About 11 per cent of Gozo's 18,000 dwellings are vacant, according to a draft local plan for Gozo and Comino, which has been published by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for public consultation.
The plan shows that there are around 90 hectares of undeveloped land within the existing development schemes - enough to provide an additional 5,500 plots for residential development, which is more than three times the number of dwellings expected to be required during the local plan period.
Nevertheless, while it was drawing up the plan, MEPA received nearly 1,000 requests to include more land within the development zones. The total requested area is 4.3 square km, which is equivalent to 24 times the size of Marsalforn, or twice the size of Comino.
The plan points out that around 1,100 development applications from Gozo are determined each year and more than 90 per cent are approved.
The parliamentary secretary in the Home Affairs and Environment Ministry, George Pullicino, who attended the launch of the plan yesterday, said that in Gozo less than half the land that was allocated for development had been built up.
The government was not prepared to increase the size of the development zone, he said.
Mr Pullicino said that although the government did not necessarily agree with the entire contents of the local plan, it agreed with its general direction and insistence on the need for sustainable development.
The 10-year Gozo and Comino Local Plan covers the 14 localities of Gozo and proposes a land-use strategy, based on the principles of sustainable development. It ensures that enough land is available to meet Gozo's development requirements until 2012 and beyond and also seeks to safeguard and enhance the island's cultural and natural heritage.
The plan encourages development that improves quality of life, uses land efficiently, ensures development is compatible with surrounding activities and does not overload the road networks.
The local plan also contains proposals to ease traffic problems at Mgarr and to improve the road link to Victoria since most vehicular traffic uses it. It proposes alternative transport means like bicycle routes and motorcycle parking facilities in view of the fact that there are currently 24,000 registered vehicles in Gozo, increasing by around 1,000 a year.
The plan points out that schools in Gozo are generally under-populated. However, the secondary school complex in Victoria does not satisfy education standards space requirements and facilities need to be upgraded.
The local plan also proposes the rehabilitation of existing health facilities and recognises that the site of the General Hospital is sufficient to cater for requirements during the local plan period.
Although the aging population is an issue - by 2010 around 25 per cent of the Gozo population will be aged over 60 - there are good prospects for keeping the elderly within their community, according to the plan.
A site has been identified for a sewage treatment plant, sewage currently being disposed of untreated. Solid waste is currently dumped at Xaghra, but a waste transfer station is proposed to transfer the waste to Malta.
The local plan also contains policies on facilities for telecommunications, fuel storage and the Armed Forces.
Large-scale offices are proposed to be located in the Gozo Communal Centre at Victoria and two sites have been identified for micro-enterprises.
No new quarries are anticipated for the next few years and mitigating measures are suggested for construction-related plants.
The local plan recognises the potential of tourism facilities in rural areas, particularly on the edges of development zones. The potential for public rural recreational facilities, circular walkways and public urban open spaces is also recognised in the plan.
Areas of agricultural value - agriculture being the largest land-user in Gozo and important for the Gozo economy - are identified and safeguarded through the local plan. Greenhouses and farm buildings are being directed to a number of designated sites.
Agriculture takes up 60 per cent of the land, while developed areas account for 12 per cent.
Mr Pullicino said that between 1971 and 1986, about 3,200 hectares of agricultural land were lost to development, while between 1987 and today the figure had gone down by a third to 1,200 hectares.
The plan also contains a presumption that there will be no new residential units outside the development zones except in genuine cases where animal husbandry units are permitted.
The restoration of rubble walls and abandoned agricultural land is also encouraged.
The policies aim to protect streetscapes, introduce 'visual integrity buffer zones' around conservation areas and propose schemes to upgrade spaces in the conservation areas.
Another policy encourages the rehabilitation of stone balconies, a characteristic of Gozitan architecture, which deserves to be safeguarded.
Valleys are being protected through the plan and the rehabilitation of damaged landscapes is encouraged. It is also proposing afforestation schemes, improved access to the coast, the replenishment of beaches and specific protection to the minor islands around Gozo and Comino.
The local plan also proposes policies for specific local plan areas, while special protection is being accorded to Comino.
The published plan is a proposal and the public's participation, contribution and feedback are essential to its successful development, the MEPA said.
The local plan is to be revised in the light of the submissions received. The final plan requires to be approved by the MEPA Board and consequently by government before it is formally adopted as a policy document by MEPA.
MEPA is distributing a summary of its proposals to every household and is inviting the public to submit their contribution to the local plan. A seminar and two public consultation meetings are also being organised.
Submissions to MEPA are welcome until September 13.
Copies of the local plan may be seen at the MEPA offices in Floriana and Victoria, at local councils offices in Gozo, public libraries and on the website: www.mepa.org.mt.