An environmental organisation is urging the planning authority to officially acknowledge experts who draw up impact reports and blacklist those who bias the reports in favour of developers.

Nature Trust Malta president Vincent Attard said the time had come for the planning authority to have certified environment impact assessment professionals to recognise those who always gave a true picture. Also, the regulator should have a blacklist of so-called experts who tried to please developers through the reports they drew up. Mr Attard was referring to a recent report issued by the planning authority’s environment protection directorate objecting to a €120 million project to build a tourist and residential project in Ħondoq Ir-Rummien.

The directorate criticised, among other things, certain environment reports submitted by consultants, commissioned by the developer, for being “unduly biased”.

Welcoming the directorate’s recommendation, Nature Trust hoped that good sense would prevail, just like it had with other projects.

“The directorate’s recommendation is extremely important as Malta can’t afford more unsustainable development, using economic growth as an excuse,” Mr Attard said.

Gozo, which was very rich in ecological areas, should focus more on specific types of tourism such eco-tourism and agritourism, he added.