At a Press Conference in Birżebbuġa on Thursday morning, ADPD – The Green Party spokespersons stated that the locality cannot continue to be bombarded with new projects that erode the quality of life of its residents. Birżebbuġa residents cannot take any more!

The latest assault is the car-racing track project which is being fast-tracked as part of the election bonanza. Dr Melissa Bagley, a Birżebbuġa resident, Deputy Secretary General of ADPD – The Green Party and a candidate on behalf of ADPD on the 5th Electoral District of which Birżebbuġa forms part said that the Government proposal shows a lack of sensitivity and care about the welfare of the residents of Birżebbuġa. The acoustic pollution generated will also have an impact on an area of ecological importance around 600 metres away.

The proposal of a car-racing track at Ħal Far will add to the noise pollution to which Birżebbuġa is already subjected to from aeroplanes which descend towards the airport over Birżebbuġa, as well as the continuous noise resulting from the operations of the Freeport Terminal. The site is already in use on weekends: the resulting noise pollution being picked up as far away as Kirkop and Safi, let alone in Birżebbuġa itself. At times, this goes on well into the night, even as late as 2am.

It seems that this project coupled with others such as that of the proposed airstrip for model aircraft at Wied Żnuber and the further rumblings coming from the Freeport are bombarding Birżebbuġa from all sides… “Birżebbuġa residents cannot take any more!”, concluded Bagley.

Carmel Cacopardo, ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson emphasised that no site in Malta can reasonably accommodate this racing track without being the cause of extreme nuisance to residents, damaging to the environment or both. Malta is small in size. The sooner this basic fact sinks in, the better. It should be realised that there is no room for projects such as this car-racing track. In part this is the price we have to pay for a lack of planning over the years.

It is imperative that areas that have been declared ODZ remain as such and not be considered as up for grabs for whatever reason. ADPD has repeatedly called for local councils to have a greater say in safeguarding the remaining green lungs in our country.

Local councils should be empowered to stop ODZ development either directly or through local referenda. This will be a practical example of how the subsidiarity principle is applied – with the decision-making powers being as close as possible to who is going to be impacted by such decision. Projects that are considered of national interest will require parliamentary approval.

Environmental policy should acknowledge that we are part of an ecosystem that needs to be safeguarded for future generations. However, successive governments have simply looked at what is needed without any long-term considerations of the future.

This is why ADPD is calling for the possibility of environmental principles in the constitution to be challenged in Court so that Government is forced to act in those areas where it fails to do so.

“Only Green MPs in the next parliament can apply the brakes to the current madness. PLPN is not interested in the welfare of residents: they are only interested in raw power,” concluded Cacopardo.

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Ir-residenti ta’ Birżebbuġa ma jifilħux aktar! Il-PLPN moħħom biss li jiksbu l-poter akkost ta’ kollox

F’konferenza ta’ l-aħbarijiet il-Ħamis filgħodu, kelliema ta’ ADPD – The Green Party saħqu li l-lokalità ma tistgħux tibqa’ tkun ibbumbardjata minn proġetti ġodda li jkompli jnaqqru il-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti. Ir-residenti ta’ Birżebbuġa ma jifilħux aktar!

L-aħħar attakk hija it-trakka tat-tlielaq tal-karozzi liema proġett ġie mgħaġġel il-ftehim dwaru bħala parti mill-wegħdiet elettorali. Dr Melissa Bagley, residenta ġewwa Birżebbuġa, Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD – The Green Party u kandidata f’isem l-ADPD fuq il-5 Distrett Elettorali li minnu jagħmel part Birżebbuġa qalet li l-proposta tal-Gvern tura nuqqas ta’ sensittivita u ħarsien tal-ġid tar-residenti f’Birżebbuġa. Il-livell akustika li se jkun ġenerat minn dan il-proġett se jkollu impatt ukoll fuq żona ta’ importanza ekoloġika li hija biss 600 metru il-bogħod.

Il-proposta ta’ trakka tat-tlielaq tal-karozzi f’Ħal Far se tkompli żżid mal-ħsejjes li Birżebbuġa jkollha l-ħin kollhu – ibda mill-ajruplani li fl-inżul tagħhom lejn l-ajruport jgħaddu minn fuq Birżebbuġa, kif ukoll il-ħsejjes kontinwi mill-operat tal-Freeport Terminal. Iż-żona proposta għat-trakka diġà tintuża fi tmiem il-ġimgħa bil-ħsejjes jinstemgħu sa Ħal Kirkop u Ħal Safi. Xi drabi dan jibqa’ sejjer sa tard bil-lejl, ġieli anke sa xis-2am.

Jidher li dan il-proġett flimkien ma’ oħrajn bħalma huwa il-mitjar żgħir għall-model aircraft f’Wied Żnuber kif ukoll xniegħat ta’ aktar żviluppi min-naħa tal-Freeport qiegħed iwassal biex Birżebbuġa tinsab imdawwra minn storbju minn kull naħa… “Ir-residenti ta’ Birżebbuġa ma jifilħux aktar!”, temmet tgħid Bagley.

Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD – The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo insista li l-ebda sit f’Malta ma tista’ tiġi kkunsidrata tajba għal trakka tal-karozzi mingħajr ma toħloq inkonvenjent esaġerat lir-residenti jew ħsara lill-ambjent jew it-tnejn. Malta hija żgħira. Iktar ma naċċettaw dan malajr ikun aħjar għal kulħadd. Kulħadd għandu jifhem li m’hemmx lok għal proġetti bħal dawn. Parti minn tort żgur huwa in-nuqqas ta’ ippjanar li kellna tul is-snin u li issa qegħdin inbagħtuh illum.

Huwa importanti li żoni li ġew iddikjarata bħala barra mill-iżvilupp (ODZ) jibqgħu hekk akkost ta’ kollox. ADPD kemm-il darba talbet ukoll biex il-kunsilli lokali jkunu iktar involuti fil-ħarsien tal-ftit żoni ħodor li fadal f’pajjiżna.

Il-kunsilli lokali għandhom ikollhom il-poter li jwaqqfu żvilupp f’żoni ODZ sew direttament jew bis-saħħa ta’ referenda lokali. Dan ikun eżempju ta’ kif jiġi imħaddem il-prinċipju tas-sussidjarjetà fil-prattika – bid-deċiżjonijiet jittieħdu kemm jista’ jkun viċin dawk li se jkunu l-aktar milquta’ mill-istess deċiżjonijiet. Proġetti ta’ ġid nazzjonali jsiru biss bl-approvazzjoni tal-parlament.

Il-politika tal-ambjent għanda tagħraf li aħna nifformaw part minn ekosistema li hemm bżonn inħarsu għal ġenerazzjonijiet futuri. Madankollu gvernijiet wieħed wara l-ieħor raw biss sa mneħirom billi taw każ x’hemm bżonn illum mingħajr l-ebda ħsieb tal-futur.

Huwa għalhekk li ADPD qegħda titlob li l-prinċipji ambjentali fil-kostituzzjoni jistgħu jkunu suġġetti għal kawżi fil-Qorti fejn il-Gvern jkun mġiegħel jieħu azzjoni jekk dan jkun naqas li jagħmel dan fejn meħtieġ.

“Jkunu biss il-Membri Parlamentari ta’ ADPD fil-parlament li jmiss li jistgħu jżomm ir-riedni għal dak li hu għaddej bħalissa. Il-PLPN jidher li flok jaraw li jħarsu il-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti moħħom biss li jiksbu l-poter akkost ta’ kollox,” temm Cacopardo.