San Lawrenz local council has been left out of a new steering committee set up by the government to manage the Dwejra area in Gozo.

Although Dwejra, one of Gozo’s main tourist attractions, falls entirely within the boundaries of the San Lawrenz local council, mayor Noel Formosa said his council had been completely left out despite having been the entity that promoted the concept of a steering committee.

“My fellow councillors could not believe it when they read in the newspapers that the Environment Ministry had set up a steering committee for the area and excluded the elected representatives of the locality,” Mr Formosa told the Times of Malta yesterday.

“We have been insisting with the government for the last three years to put this steering committee in place. Now it is finally set up, we were shunned and we do not know why. How can local elected representatives be excluded from the management of an area within their boundaries?” the angry mayor said.

Last week, during a press conference attended also by Gozo Minister Anton Refalo, the new Environment Minister José Herrera announced the setting up of the committee headed by Timmy Gambin, an archaeologist.

The eight-member committee includes representatives of the Malta Tourism Authority, the Gozo Ministry, environmental NGOs and the hotels and restaurants association. Protesting its omission, the local council wrote to the Environment Minister asking to be included and for an explanation regarding why the government was ignoring local authorities.

On his part, Dr Herrera played down the issue and said he would consider whether the council should also be represented.

“We do not want any favours from the government,” Mr Formosa said.

Dwejra’s Azure Window: the site struggles to cope with an influx of visitors, and cracks have begun to emerge in the stone from their walks over the surface. Photo: Marlon George Grech

“This is not an issue of whether a minister wishes or decides if we should be on the committee or not. It is our right to be there. The government is obliged to consult us and involve us if it really believes in local councils,” Mr Formosa insisted.

The area, which also includes the Azure Window, is one of Gozo’s main tourist attractions with thousands visiting the site each week.

A similar steering committee was already in place in 2007 but was dismantled in 2012. The local council of San Lawrenz was part of the committee at that time.

The idea of the new committee is to put more order in the way the area is managed with the aim of acquiring Unesco recognition for the picturesque location.

Already included in EU’s Natura 2000 network, the site has struggled in past years to cope with the strain put on it by the influx of visitors keen to catch sight of – and even walk over – its famous Azure Window. Cracks have appeared across the surface in recent years, with the local council urging the authorities to intervene and put in more resources to manage the site.

ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com