I thank the environmental authorities and the ministers responsible thereof for first encouraging me to invest in a solar water heater and then relaxing the building height limitations, such that my solar water heater is now ineffective in winter - when the sun is very low and when I need it most.

A question to the Finance Minister - am I entitled to a refund of some sort? To the lawyers - are citizens entitled to sunlight? To the planners at Mepa - how can we rest assured that you won't fiddle with your plans again so that we may start enjoying our properties? Or rather, when will you put citizens' rights before the interests of speculators?

At this stage, I feel I am being forced do like the rest of the Joneses, that is, to demolish my recently-renovated 400-year old townhouse, build a five-storey block of apartments (in which no-one will live anyway), retain the penthouse and then enjoy my solar water heater.

Oh well, this is sustainable development as our politicians, some economists and high-ranking officials in the environmental authorities would have us believe.

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