Updated at 12.25pm with Front Ħarsien ODZ statement

It was about time that a plan to create a national park along the coastal and rural area bordering Xgħajra, Żabbar and Marsascala started being implemented, Partit Demokratiku said.

In a statement this morning, it said the park was proposed by the government in 2015 but it was then seemingly abandoned.

Through it, 30,000m² of government land currently within the development zone, would be protected.

PD said that while it agreed with the Nationalist Party’s call to protect Żonqor, its Private Members' Bill would amend the Acts which regulated the Planning Authority and the Environment Resources Authority.

Taking the case of Żonqor in isolation would be harmful, as it would sacrifice other areas, it said.

PD also insisted on a national masterplan on urban development, which it presented as a Private Member’s Bill last August.

It noted that Malta had reached a critical stage and a genuine, holistic and strategic approach to planning was needed. 

Front Ħarsien ODZ welcomes resurgence of environmental conscience

In a statement, Front Ħarsien ODZ welcomed the recent resurgence of environmental concerns within Opposition parties, in particular, PD’s Private Member's Bill to revise SPED, and its concerns regarding the Żonqor University project.

The SPED, it said, should be reformed to eliminate, wherever possible, any further development on ODZ. It said it looked forward to a healthy debate on the matter by all interested parties.

Front Ħarsien ODZ also thanked journalists and eNGOs who worked tirelessly in the background throughout the past year of political upheaval, keeping the environment at the forefront of political discourse.