Ivery rarely write about the problems of overdevelopment in the Maltese Islands. However, my experiences as a Balzan local councillor have opened my eyes to the urgency of doing more to solve this controversial problem.

Let me make it clear that I have absolutely nothing against developers and other entrepreneurs in the building industry. However, I believe that we have come to a point where we have to be more rational in our approach towards projects related to the building industry.

The village I live in is a living example of how overdevelopment can have several negative effects on a locality. Balzan was once a village with rural characteristics. Today, these are being increasingly lost as the ‘village’ is, year after year, losing most of its greenery to have it replaced by what I can only describe as ‘concrete jungles’.

The Balzan local council is finding itself in the situation of having to regularly present objections to Mepa about several proposed developments. To further complicate the problem, some newly built properties are over-priced and this often leads to situations where some properties remain empty for a substantial period of time. These empty properties sometimes become places for abuses such as drugs, sex and littering.

What is even more worrying is the wanton destruction of trees and gardens to make way for development. I recently attended a Mepa hearing concerning a proposed development in Old Railway Road which would have seen a beautiful garden of some considerable size destroyed to make way for a block of apartments and garages. Furthermore, this would have led to a situation where one would have had a solid block of concrete towering over an area with gardens below on each side of it.

What really amazed me and made my blood boil were the arguments brought forward by the developer to justify the granting of permission for the project. For example, it was stated that permission had been granted in the past for similar developments in the same area. As one of the objectors noted, if we have ruined parts of the village through such mistakes in the past, should we continue to err by using these controversial developments as a precedent to justify a continuation of such debatable decisions?

Then, the developer brought forward the argument that one need not worry about the fact that a block of apartments and garages would be built smack in the middle of gardens pertaining to adjacent properties because these same properties with their big gardens would be acquired in the near future and themselves turned into blocks of apartments and garages! In other words, we are being told that one need not bother about the loss of a big garden because other big gardens in the area will soon also disappear.

What really infuriated me, however, was the fact that units of the proposed development had been sold ‘on plan’ to several people when the necessary permits for the development to go ahead had still not been issued.

The developer even had the audacity to try and use this as a bargaining counter. If these people, he argued, had been sold a property for which permits had not yet been issued, is it not discrimination to deny them their property by refusing the said permits? Incredible! So, an abuse is used as an excuse to justify getting one’s own way.

I shall be the first to state that the majority of developers are not like this. However, I have given this example to illustrate the negative, egoistic type of development that is destroying villages like Balzan. We cannot go on losing beautiful, big gardens at the rate we are losing them today to have them replaced by concrete monstrosities.

I have given this example to illustrate the negative, egoistic type of development that is destroying villages like Balzan

The present government is doing its utmost and has already implemented several initiatives to ensure that the Mepa reform will continue gathering momentum. However, I believe that we also have to ask ourselves several important questions:

What kind of environment do we want our future generations to live in?; Can we afford more urbanisation which is slowly destroying a substantial part of our rural environment?; Should we permit further development in areas where there are already many properties which have remained unsold?

Remember that destroying what remains of our rural heritage has grave negative effects on our country. The quiet of the countryside is replaced by noise pollution; the clean air is replaced by more exhaust fumes; the attraction of our country to prospective tourists is reduced; recreation areas for the families of the future will become more restricted and fewer in number.

I have absolute faith in the commitment of the Labour government, led by Joseph Muscat, towards more rationality in the environmental sector. It is not the government which should be blamed for the problems of overdevelopment. Blame those who would fatten their pockets at the expense of the environment which we shall bequeath to future generations.

No, this is not the Malta we would like our descendants to live in. However, to ensure a better future for them, we have to start doing something about it today.