During a public consultation meeting held in Qala on Wednesday evening, Gozo Minister Anton Refalo, when asked about the proposed Ħondoq development, stated that there would be “no building of any sort in Ħondoq ir-Rummien valley”.

Prior to this, although Labour said they were against a hotel and marina at Ħondoq, they had declined to say they were against residential units being built.

Back in 2002, Mepa gave itself a target of 42 weeks to come to a decision on the proposed holiday village/marina at Ħondoq.

Allowances existed for extending this period in case Environmental and Traffic Impact Assessment reports were required, and for consultations, appeals and public holidays.

Let’s say the whole 11 years was valid extension time, from the original 2002 ODZ application to Mepa’s refusal of an appeal by the developers in May 2013. During this time, the local plan was changed without consultation in 2006 from ODZ to ‘tourism and marine related development’; the draft Environmental and Traffic Impact Assessment reports were issued shortly afterwards in 2007 (revised and reissued in 2009); recommendations that the project be refused given by numerous bodies including Mepa; and finally the proposal was modified, whereby the marina was to be replaced by a swimming lagoon (this being the subject of the appeal, as it required a new EIA which the developers didn’t want to do).

It is now over 42 weeks on from last May and Mepa still hasn’t produced the final Development Planning Application Report, which sums up everything, to put before the Mepa board so it can make its final decision.

So now Labour have stated that they are against building of any sort at Ħondoq and considering all the other recommendations against the project.

Can Mepa explain why, after all this time, it has not yet produced the Development Planning Application Report so that a final decision can be made regarding the proposed development at Ħondoq, noting that one of its guiding principles is “fairness and timeliness in our decisions and their efficient and transparent enforcement”?