The people of the quaint village of Għarb are rightly outraged by the Planning Authority’s decision to give the go-ahead for the building of a new fireworks factory in a valley there. But so are all those who have at heart the protection of the little that has remained of the country’s rural environment.
The planning watchdog’s move is as senseless as it is scandalous, confirming widespread fears that the onslaught against the environment is bound to gobble up at a frenetic speed more of the remaining open spaces. Prime coastal areas and stretches of rural land have, over the past 50 years or so, been taken up for development, practically turning the island into one whole mass of buildings.
As the authorities declare, on paper, their commitment to champion the protection of the environment, there appears to be no end to encroachment on public land. The story about the approval of the application for the building of a new fireworks factory in the Għarb valley once again proves that, when all is said and done, there is ultimately no effective authority to check the relentless attack on the environment.
The new fireworks factory will be built close to another approved only last year and lies a few hundred metres away from homes and the chapel of San Dimitri, which has a special place in Gozo’s folklore – and in the hearts of the people – for its most enchanting legend.
Ten people were killed in two powerful fireworks factory explosions between 2010 and 2012. So the people of Għarb can hardly be blamed for not wanting more fireworks factories so close to their homes. In the same year that a massive explosion had killed six people, the majority voted against the development of fireworks factories in outside development land in their locality.
Their local council has been trying hard to stop such development but it has been fighting a losing battle. It is so angered by what is happening in its locality that when an application for the building of another factory was approved in September 2017, it had described the approval as “emblematic of abuse of power”.
Sadly, the justified fears and concerns expressed by the council have been disregarded by the planning watchdog. Besides defeating its efforts to improve Għarb’s natural environment, the council noted that approval of applications for the building of new fireworks factories in the locality posed a risk to residents.
The case officer has described the site as having high landscape value and ecological importance and the Planning Authority’s own environment panel had strongly recommended refusal of the application, pointing out that the area was situated on the side of the valley and was, therefore, also in conflict with the structure plan policy.
When the council tried to introduce a bye-law banning the building of fireworks factories there, the Local Government Department overruled it. Obviously infuriated at its decision, the council said the department’s attitude showed lack of sensitivity towards its attempts to safeguard the lives and tranquillity of the people hit by such scandalous development.
There is no question that fireworks displays are part of the local culture but there definitely needs to be more thought before giving the go ahead to new factories at the cost of sacrificing the environment.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial