“Birżebbuġa cannot take more noise pollution. It is already bombarded from all directions.” This was stated by 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.
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. Birżebbuġa cannot take more!
The Government proposal announced in celebratory mode, on the eve of a general election, shows a lack of sensitivity and signifies that, at the end of the day, Government does not care about the welfare of the residents of Birżebbuġa.
The site is already in use on weekends: the resulting acoustic pollution is 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.
Carmel Cacopardo, ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson emphasised that the Tal-Papa residential area in Birżebbuġa is already the zone most impacted by aircraft and Freeport Terminal noise pollution. It is also the zone closest to the planned car-racing track: it is just 1,500 metres away. In addition, there is also the Bengħajsa hamlet, as well as a number of rural residential units.
The land on which the racing track proposal may be developed forms part of the Ħal Far Industrial Estate. Malta Industrial Parks is releasing land forming part of an industrial estate on which only industrial development is permissible in terms of the Local Plans.
The acoustic pollution generated will also have an impact on an area of ecological importance around 600 metres away. We will have to wait and see what steps will be taken by ERA, the environment protection regulator, in line with its remit.
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.
We are aware that both the PN and the PL are supporting this madness. Both of them are willing to accommodate the racing track lobby. This is the practical way in which they demonstrate how they are willing to sacrifice the quality of life of the Birżebbuġa residents in their drive to satisfy the racing track lobby.
The next step in this saga is when the Planning Authority publishes the detailed drawings it has received. ADPD will be at the forefront in objecting to the proposed development which is incompatible with the quality of life which Birżebbuġa residents rightfully expect. Only Green MPs in the next parliament can apply the brakes to this madness. PLPN is not interested in the welfare of residents: they are only interested in raw power.
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Trakka tat-tlielaq tal-karozzi: Birżebbuġa ma tiflaħx iktar
“Birżebbuġa hu diġa mgħobbi bit-tniġġis mill-istorbju u ma jiflaħx li jkun suġġettat għal iktar.” Dan qalitu Dr Melissa Bagley, residenta Birżebbuġa, Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD-The Green Party u kandidat f’isem ADPD fuq il-5 Distrett Elettorali li minnu Birżebbuġa tagħmel parti.
Il-proposta għal trakka għat-tlielaq tal-karozzi f’Ħal Far ser iżżid mal-istorbju li bih diġa hu ibbumbardjat Birżebbuġa kemm mill-ajruplani li jinżlu minn fuq Birżebbuġa għall-ajruport, kif ukoll mit-Terminal tal-Port Ħieles. Dawn diġa qed jissuġġettaw lil Birżebbuġa għal storbju kważi kontinwu matul il-ġurnata. Birżebbuġa ma tiflaħx iktar. Il-proposta tal-Gvern b’ħafna pompa, issa lejliet l-elezzjoni, hi waħda insensittiva għall-aħħar għax ifisser li l-Gvern jiġi jaqa’ u jqum mill-interessi tar-residenti ta’Birżebbuġa.
Is-sit hu diġa użat għat-tlielaq fi tmiem il-ġimgħa. L-istorbju ġġenerat f’dawn il-ġranet jasal anke sa Ħal Safi u Ħal Kirkop, aħseb u ara sa Birżebbuġa. Xi drabi l-attività konnessa mat-tlielaq tal-karozzi ġieli damet anke sas-sagħtejn ta’ filgħodu.
Carmel Cacopardo, Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party emfasizza li ż-żona residenzjali Tal-Papa f’Birżebbuġa diġa hi l-iktar waħda effettwata mill-istorbju ġġenerat mill-ajruplani u mit-Terminal tal-Port Ħieles. Hi ukoll iż-zona l-iktar viċin tat-trakka għat-tlielaq tal-karozzi: qegħda biss 1,500 metru l-bogħod. Dan apparti l-komunità residenzjali ċkejkna ta’ Bengħajsa kif ukoll numru żgħir ta’ residenzi rurali.
Miżuri ta’ mitigazzjoni jistgħu jnaqqsu xi ftit dawn l-impatti ta’ tniġġis mill-istorbju, imma dawn l-impatti sostanzjalment se jibqgħu hemm, idejqu lir-residenti kif għadhom idejqu lin-nies l-operat tat-Terminal tal-Port Ħieles u l-inżul tal-ajruplani minn fuq żona residenzjali.
L-art li fuqha hemm il-proposta għal trakka tat-tlielaq tal-karozzi illum hi parti miż-żona industrijali ta’ Ħal Far. Il-Malta Industrial Parks qed tirrilaxxja art li tifforma parti minn żona industrijali li fuqha jista’ jsir biss żvilupp għall-ħidma industrijali. Din hi rabta li toħrog mill-pjan lokali.
It-tniġġis ikkawżat mill-ħsejjes se jkollu ukoll impatt fuq iż-żona ta’ importanza ekoloġika li qegħda madwar 600 metru ‘l-bogħod mis-sit propost għat-trakka. Nistennew biex naraw x’passi se tieħu l-ERA, l-Awtorità li suppost tħares l-ambjent.
F’Malta ma hawn l-ebda sit li jista’ jakkomoda b’mod raġjonevoli t-trakka proposta għat-tlielaq tal-karozzi mingħajr ma tikkawża impatti negattivi fuq in-nies jew fuq l-ambjent jew fuq it-tnejn. Malta żgħira fid-daqs u iktar ma nirrejalizzaw dan malajr iktar hemm ċans li tieqaf issir il-ħsara permezz ta’ proġetti li ma hawnx spazju għalihom. In parti dan hu l-prezz li jeħtieg li nħallsu għan-nuqqas ta’ ippjanar tul is-snin.
Nafu li kemm il-PN kif ukoll il-PL jappoġġjaw dan il-ġenn. It-tnejn li huma jitgħawġu ġanċ biex jappoġġjaw dawn il-proposti. Dan hu l-mod prattiku li juru kif xejn ma jiddejqu jissagrifikaw il-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti ta’ Birżebbuġa biex jissodisfaw il-lobby tat-tiġrijiet tal-karozzi.
Il-pass li jmiss hu li l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar tippubblika l-pjanti li irċeviet dwar dan il-proġett propost. ADPD se jkun fuq quddiem biex joġġezzjona għal dan l-iżvilupp bla sens li jkompli jħarbat il-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti ta’ Birżebbuġa. Huwa biss b’membri parlamentari Ħodor minn ADPD fil-Parlament li jmiss li nistgħu nibdew nindirizzaw dawn l-abbużi. Il-PLPN ma jinteresshomx mill-kwalità tal-ħajja tan-nies imma biss mill-poter.
