Environment campaigner Astrid Vella and the Ramblers Association have separately reacted to comments about them made by Victor Scerri on Friday during Xarabank, which discussed Dr Scerri's development in Bahrija.
During the programme Dr Scerri said that Mrs Vella had submitted an application for a development in an ODZ and Lino Bugeja, president of the Ramblers' Association, also had property in an ODZ.
Mrs Vella said she had found her plans of 11 years ago which clearly showed an application to build a pool larger than a jacuzzi on a terrace 20feet wide leading directly off a sitting room.
"This terrace was within the building line and at no point was the field below involved in the pool plans.In fact the field was not even developed into a garden,let alone a pool,and left untouched, in its natural state," Mrs Vella said.
"In the architect’s application there is no mention of Out of DevelopmentZone.When asked why the application was labelled ODZ by MEPA,my architect could only surmise that since the block was built on a slope,the bottom flat, although still within the building line, extended more than 25metres from the road.T his used to be the benchmark for ODZ designation for MEPA Gozo, even for buildings which on the MEPA site maps clearly show up within the building line.
"The incorrectness of MEPA’s labelling our application is proven by the Case Officer Report which talks in terms of valley dams and dredging, impact on natural watercourses and on the traditional skyline and destruction of trees and plants,none of which are even remotely relevant to the sinking of a small pool on a bare ‘terrazin’."
Mrs Vella said that contrary to what was claimed, her application had no resemblance whatsoever toDr Scerri's application in a scheduled ODZ site.
"Not only is the pool applied for within the building line, but the site is not sensitive, so much so that a subsequent applicant was automatically granted for two pools in the field. This was denied to us, because the Case Officer report is just a ‘cut and paste’ job that bears no relevance at all to our application - a testament to MEPA’s lack of interest in applications presented by the ‘little man’ and MEPA’s well-known inconsistency. "
This all shows how right we were to decline to take part in what has proven to be a political circus characterised by false accusations and a disgustingly antagonistic tone, rather than a serious debate on the environment as the producers tried to have us believe.
Mrs Vella also rejected claims that Flimkien Ghall-Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) only take up PN political cases.F
"AA has publicized many cases which include the B’bugia scrapyard, the Attard petrol station, the Art Nouveau house in Dingli Street, Sliema, the public garden at Marsaskala, the Tal-Papa Farm at B’Bugia, the Wied il-Madonna hotel extension at Mellieha, the Wied Ghajn Zejtuna and Seabank Hotel cases at Mellieha, Windsor Terrace Sliema, the Balluta car park, Villa Bologna, Attard, the Qormi Armoury and in Gozo, Ramla l-Hamra, Dwejra, Ta’ Cenc, Hondoq ir-Rummien and Xerri il-Bukkett. The only other case we have highlighted which involves politicians is the Australia Hall in Pembroke, property of the PL," said.
RAMBLERS ASSOCIATION REACTION
The Ramblers' Association in a statement has defended its president, Lino Bugeja, from comments made about him by Dr Scerri.
The Ramblers said they decided not to participate in the programme, which was entitled Rizenji politici, because their association was apolitical and would not be led into political issues.
The Ramblers said that Dr Scerri had stated that Mr Bugeja owned a parcel of land in an Outside Development Zone.
He left out the fact, however, that Mr Bugeja owned only one quart of it, measuring half a tumolo, and that it was purchased 40 years ago.
Furthermore, Dr Scerri had not said that in all those years Mr Bugeja never ever put in a development application with Mepa, "because he accepted, and still accepts, that his land is in an ODZ."