The environmental NGO Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar is petitioning residents against the rezoning from an open space to a development zone of a piece of land behind Villa Bologna in Attard.

The issue was raised late last year when the owners of Villa Bologna discovered that a part of their gardens had been zoned for development into apartments. Over the years, residents in the neighbourhood had been given reason to believe that this land would be turned into a public recreation space.

Instead, however, the land has been rezoned in the latest central local plans as a development area for five-storey apartments with semi-basement garages and penthouses.

The NGO, which will be holding a press conference open to the public on the spot tomorrow, said numerous Attard residents and environmental campaigners have joined the campaign, submitting letters to newspapers expressing outrage at the rezoning and calling for more people to join in.

According to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa), the rezoning was part of the process with which the present local plans were developed and which involved a consultation process.

Nonetheless, the NGO said that Mepa's interpretation of public consultation at the time fell far short of the accepted meaning which indicates a full discussion of all changes to be made.

The NGO is calling for a formal ruling, overturning Mepa's decision to allow development in this open space.