Concern for the state of the environment has prompted six serving and former presidents of NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa to write an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for an end to its rapid degradation.
This is the first time in 50 years of the organisation’s work to protect the country’s rural and cultural heritage that the need was felt to make such a plea to the head of government.
“We make this plea to you as Prime Minister to ensure that your legacy to Malta is remembered for the improvements that have been made to this country, not for the further and rapid degradation of the built and rural environment which the lack of a comprehensive strategic plan is in danger of inflicting,” the presidents wrote.
Malta has been left without a proper strategy for the future
Judge Maurice Caruana Curran, Anthony Bonanno, Martin Scicluna, Martin Galea, Petra Caruana Dingli and current president Simone Mizzi signed the open letter.
DLĦ is concerned that the government has not drafted a solidly constructed new Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development and only issued a list of objectives without the essential detailed policies that must underpin a plan of this nature.
“Malta has been left without a proper strategy for the future governance and good administration of its built and rural environment, therefore inviting continued bad management and abuse to fester,” the organisation said.
It pointed out that the government intended to change the law to enable the Strategic Plan to be approved by the minister without proper parliamentary scrutiny.
“Given that the plan involves a change of such social, economic and environmental importance, the attempt to bypass Parliament is a retrograde step that runs counter to the commitment to transparency and accountability that this government made on taking office,” DLĦ said in a statement.
It said a number of other decisions affecting the environment were of concern, particularly the rural policy.
This constituted a new direction for the countryside that was likely to lead to land speculation outside the development zone.
The policy was approved by the government without any reference to an overarching strategic plan and without conducting a strategic environmental assessment of its impact.
A new policy for high-rise buildings in Mrieħel was approved although it was included in the public consultation phase as required by law.
Calls for expressions of interest in land reclamation projects were published without a marine spatial plan being presented.
“DLĦ’s six presidents... appeal to the Prime Minister to uphold his government’s electoral promise to protect the environment for future generations,” the organisation said.