Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci indirizzat konferenza tal-aħbarijiet f’San Pawl il-Baħar biswit is-sit ta’ dak li kien bank u li minfloku qegħda tiġi proposta li tinbena lukanda.

Il-proposta li tinbena lukanda ta’ tmien sulari minflok il-bini li kien tal-HSBC ħasdet u rrabjat lil ħafna residenti ta’ San Pawl il-Baħar. Hawnhekk, it-triq hi wisq dejqa u minħabba f’hekk, spiss jinġema’ traffiku qawwi. Jidher li it-traffiku se jkompli jiżdied, għaliex biss ftit metri ‘l bogħod se jittella’ l-bini taċ-ċentru ċiviku l-ġdid li m’għandniex xi ngħidu, se jkompli jiġbed volum akbar ta’ traffiku lejn din iż-żona, għalkemm minn triq differenti.

Ma ninsewx ukoll li hawn spiss jiżbroffa d-drenaġġ, li jkompli jżid mal-isfidi kollha li jkollhom iħabbtu wiċċhom magħhom ir-residenti. Din mhix xi żona viċin tal-baħar, jew li toffri xi veduti – hija żona purament residenzjali. Filwaqt li nifhmu li kulħadd għandu dritt li jagħmel dak li jixtieq bil-propjeta’ privata tiegħu, dan għandu jsir b’galbu, bil-ħsieb u b’rispett lejn ir-residenti. Madankollu, jidher li dan il-proġett hu nieqes mir-rispett u l-ħsieb. 

Bħala pajjiż diġa’ qed ikollna volumi kbar ta’ turisti tista’ tgħid matul is-sena kollha. Iżda fuq din in-naqra ta’ gżira, kemm nistgħu inkomplu nippakkjaw nies? Kif jista’qatt ikun sostenibbli  turiżmu bla rażan? Il-pajjiż diġa’ mifqugħ bin-nies. Ftit xita toħloq kaos sħiħ fit-toroq tagħna. Nistgħu inkomplu nippakkjaw iktar niex f’din id-daqsxejn ta’ gżira?

Fis-sena 2024, waslu Malta 3.5 miljun turist. L-esperjenza li qed jieħu t-turist li jiġi jżurna, hi tassew ta’ kwalita’? Rajna wkoll kemm ir-residenti f’żoni turistiċi qegħdin jgħaddu minn bosta problemi, fosthom ta’ żibel, storbju, drenaġġ li jiżbroffa u traffiku ġġamjat. Huwa fiċ-ċar li la hemm pjan fit-tul u lanqas fil-qasir. Bħalissa kulhadd qed jipprova jaħtaf kemm jista’, ladarba jafu li l-gvern u l-awtoritajiet huma pro business u li ftit li xejn se jkunu ta’ xkiel għal aktar lukandi u kostruzzjoni bl-addoċċ, saħansitra fi triq li bilkemm tista’ tgħaddi coach minnha.

Ġejna f’din is-sitwazzjoni għaliex meta’ tfasslu l-pjanijiet lokali, qatt ma ħsibna dwar l-effett kumulattiv ta’ dawn il-proġetti kollha. Żvilupp individwali jaf ikun sostenibbli. Imma għadd kbir ta’ żviluppi f’lokalita’, joħolqu problema.

L-ippjanar dwar l-użu tal-art m’għandux ikun dwar id-drittijiet tal-individiwi imma dwar kif inħarsu l-komunita’ mill-impatti tal-iżvilupp. Dan il-ħarsien tal-komunita’ hu nieqes mill-pjanijiet lokali u mill-ħidma kollha tal-Awtorita’ tal-Ippjanar.

Bl-Ingliż ngħidu: something has got to give. Fi ftit żmien, se jkollna nagħżlu bejn il-bini sfrenat u l-ġid tan-nies li fl-aħħar mill-aħħar jiddeċiedu lil min jagħtu l-poter. ADPD-The Green Party jemmen li lukanda  hawn se tkun ta’ inkonvenjent għal kulħadd. Hawn mhux post tajjeb biex tinbena lukanda u għalhekk dan il-permess għandu jiġi rifjutat.

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Hotel replacing bank building to the detriment of St Paul’s Bay residents.

ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci addressed a press conference on the site in St Paul’s Bay where a hotel is being proposed to replace a bank building.

The news about the proposed eight-storey hotel to replace the former HSBC building in St Paul’s Bay has surprised and angered many residents.  This particular area is well-known for the traffic that passes through the narrow road.  Apart from that, it is also a residential area that is exposed to sewage overflow.  Moreover, a few metres away there is the development of a civic centre that will include a clinic and will increase traffic flow to the area.

The problem that people find is the area being earmarked for development into a hotel.  It is not a zone along the coast that offers a coastal view.  It is strictly a residential area which borders a highly busy road.  Whilst it may be argued that one has the right to do what they want with their properties, we also believe that urban planning takes into consideration the neighbourhood and respect for the neighbours.  And a project like this certainly does not meet these two criteria.

As a country we already have high volumes of tourists practically all year round.  However, there are many questions which remain unanswered.  How many more tourists can this small island accommodate? Where is the sustainability in this?  This country is already quite populated, and the rainy season challenges our infrastructure.  How much can this country take?  What kind of experience are tourists getting from all this?

In 2024 we saw around 3.5 million tourists.  We have also seen how residents living in tourist zones are facing problems such as waste, noise, sewage overflow and congestion more than the norm.  Now, it is open season for all who develop because the current government and authorities are ‘pro-business’ and will not really slow down the race for more hotels and other buildings to be developed without proper planning.   This includes a hotel being built on a road so narrow that a bus can hardly pass through.

This is the aftermath of the local plans, which were never analysed to see what and how their accumulated impact would be like.  Today we are feeling the impact of this lack of urban planning – whilst individual development projects have their own merits, holistically they create a problem.

Land planning is not about individual rights but more about how the community can be protected from the impact of development.  The protection of communities is lacking in the local plans and the ongoing operations of the Planning Authority.

As the saying in English goes, something has got to give.  We are going to come to a point in which we need to choose between random development and the common good, who, after all, choose to elect their representatives to power.  As ADPD-The Green Party, we believe that a hotel in this area will have adverse effects on the neighbourhood, and therefore a permit for a hotel should be refused.