The Mayor of Ghajnsielem, Francis Cauchi, said this afternoon that a meeting had been held with the chairman of Mepa with a view to speeding up procedures regarding the Bethlehem f'Ghajnsielem Nativity Village, alhough he reiterated that it was now very difficult for the popular event to be held this year.
He said that certain statements issued by Mepa were misleading.
"In its statement, Mepa said that the full application will include a number of permanent facilities to accommodate the operations of the Local Council, other facilities and structures while adding that this is a an ODZ area. One might easily get the impression that these facilitates will be built outside the development zone when the truth is that these will be built within the development scheme outside the boundaries where the Bethlehem f'Ghajnsielem event was being held. It must be said that these facilitites include a visitors center that during the Christmas period will be partially turned into a grotto," Mr Cauchi said.
"Mepa said that in September 2011 it had asked the Local Council to submit fresh plans and that the latest information required was submitted in September 2012. However it omitted to say the original application was submitted in April 2011 and the screening letter was received in September 2011. One might get the impression the council did not do anything during the past 12 months, when during this period we were asked to change the envoirmental study report four times, there were six other exchanges of correspondence for further clarifications on the plans submitted, five meetings were held with Mepa officials and another 10 correspondences regarding further studies, payment and other information requested.
"Having said that, it is also worth pointing out that today, almost a year and a half after the original application was submitted, the Ghajnsielem Local Council still does not have a PA Number.
"However, it must be also said that two fruitful meetings were recently held, one with the MEPA Director and the other with the chairman so the application can be processed more quickly.
"Mepa is still willing to assist the event by issuing a DNO permit. However, logistical problems involving the 'Fondazzjoni Bethlehem f'Ghajnsielem' have made it difficult for this year's event to take place in view of the substantial work involved.
"An enforcement notice was issued by MEPA since the temporary structures from last year's event were not dismantled within the stipulated period. These structures were dismantled last summer. However this situation was creating extra pressure on the volunteers, most of whom are also involved in other local NGOs.
"Once the full application is issued, the Christmas village wooden structures in the ODZ area will still be dismantled from year to year. However a number of facilities will be retained and will save a lot of work for the volunteers. These include paved paths, water and electricity service, water features, permanent ponds and springs, rubble wall, animal sheds etc. Throughout the year, this area will then be used as a permanent family park."
MEPA REPLIES
Mepa, in a reply, said the Council's meeting with its chairman was not to speed up planning procedures pertaining to the Bethlehem Nativity Village, but was related to the council's planning application for the proposed development of a recreational rural park in the area known as 'Ta' Passi'.
"The Authority finds it unjust that the local council is using the popular cultural event of the Bethlehem Nativity Village to try putting public pressure on the Authority to ensure that its recreational park application is processed without all the necessary environmental studies having been carried out and assessed, when the two have no direct bearing on one another. The Authority reiterates that the Bethlehem Nativity Village was always organised with the Fondazzjoni Bethlehem f'Ghajnsielem simply applying through a development notification order (DNO). Nothing has changed over the months for the same fast and simple procedures to be adopted by the organisers of the Bethlehem Nativity Village, if they wish to organise the event this year.
"The local council knows that its application for the development of a recreational rural park does not yet have a planning application number (PA), for the simple reason that it has taken the council months for it to submit all the necessary studies, project description statement and fresh plans. The local council should abide by the same regulations and procedures that other applicants need to follow when submitting an application which is primarily located in a sensitive site, outside the development boudaries," Mepa said.