Għaddiet sena oħra u wara d-daħq fil-wiċċ tul is-snin, dan l-iżvilupp illegali mal-kosta għadu għaddej. Is-sena l-oħra avolja pprotestajna u konna ilna s-snin sħaħ nitkellmu fuq dan l-iżvilupp illegali fuq art pubblika, xorta l-Parlament bil-barka kemm tal-PL fil-Gvern flimkien mal-PN fl-Oppożizzjoni, ippremjaw lil min seraq lill-pubbliku. Dan qalitu ċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci meta indirizzat konferenza tal-aħbarijiet, flimkien mas-Segretarju Ġenerali Ralph Cassar, fis-sit tal-iżvilupp mal-kosta tal-Qawra.

Bil-barka tal-parlament b’żewġ miljuni multa, li titħallas bin-nifs, u kera ta’ €138,000 fis-sena donnu ntesa kollox. U issa l-iżviluppatur, mis-saba’ se jieħu l-id u se jkompli jestendi dan l-iżvilupp illegali b’detriment tar-residenti ta’ San Pawl il-Bahar.

Dan kollu qed isir bil-barka tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar. L-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar, li kieku għandha verament il-ġid tar-residenti għal qalbha, setgħet tinduna bil-ħafna nuqqasijiet fil-proposta ta’ żvilupp li se jsir mal-kosta bejn is-Suncrest u s-Sunny Coast. Iżda donnu għalqet għajnejha t-tnejn. Il-Kunsill ta’ San Pawl il-Baħar, li vvota kontra dan il-proġett huwa mħasseb dwar l-impatt qawwi negattiv fuq it-traffiku fiż-żona filwaqt li jisħaq li studju għandu jkun ibbażat fuq data reċenti u mhux fuq data li nġabret fl-2017/8, iġifieri 9 snin ilu.

It-traffiku u l-parkeġġ huwa diġà problema kbira fil-lokal u din it-traskuraġni f’xi ħaġa daqshekk importanti turi l-arroganza li biha l-effetti fuq ir-residenti jiġu trattati u sottovalutati. Il-fatt ukoll li se tittieħed triq mingħajr alternattiva hija ta’ nkwiet kbir speċjalment għan-nies li jridu jaċċessaw il-boat houses u l-baħar.

Sandra Gauci saqsiet min eżatt se jieħu ħsieb il-manutenzjoni ta’ din iż-żona meta huwa fatt magħruf li teżisti telqa tul il-kosta kollha? Possibli li dawn il-konsiderazzjonijiet l-Awtorità l-Ippjanar ma rathomx? Possibbli saret daqsekk rubber stamp li anke l-ovvju bħal parkeġġ tiddeċiedi li tinjorah?

Matul is-snin il-kosta ta’ San Pawl il-Baħar ittieħdet lir-residenti f’dak li jissejjaħ salami slicing, iġifieri żvilupp li jsir biċċa biċċa ħalli jagħmilha iktar faċli li jiġi approvat meta wieħed ma jkunx qiegħed jara l-impatt fit-totalità tiegħu. Kemm issa taħt il-Labour kif ukoll fil-passat taħt gvern Nazzjonalista ġraw oxxenitajiet li naqqru mill-kosta, mill-vista tal-baħar kif ukoll mill-użu tal-kosta mill-pubbliku. Iddeċidew li jħallu l-kosta pubblika titnaqqar, sena wara sena, gvern wara ieħor. Ma jinteressahomx mill-aċċess pubbliku għall-baħar, imma jinteressahom jaġevolaw ir-regħba ta’ xi wħud. 

Ralph Cassar kompla billi qal li tul is-snin bejn lidos u deckchairs rajna kemm l-ispazju għan-nies naqas. F’post bħal San Pawl il-Baħar fejn l-ispazji miftuħa huma ftit u l-popolazzjoni hija densa kull ċentimetru jgħodd. Id-diskrepanza minn sena għall-oħra tidher l-aktar fis-sajf bil-volum qawwi ta’ turisti. Pratikament qed nimxu fuq xulxin.  Fl-istess waqt il-gvern jipproponi Viżjoni 2050 b’aktar u aktar turiżmu, b’aktar u aktar kosta meqruda. Din is-sitwazzjoni ta’ klawstrofobija li qegħdin fiha donnu ftit li xejn tinteressa lill-awtoritajiet. L-aqwa li jbaxxu rashom għall-bullies bil-flus. Aħna imma nibqgħu inżommu sodi u nwasslu l-vuċi taċ-ċittadin. Ta’ min isemmi wkoll l-proposti ta’ liġi tal-gvern għall-ippjanar. Diġà għandna l-liġi tal-ġungla, issa l-gvern se jkompli jżid l-opportunitajiet biex min jiflaħ iħawwel. Dawn in-nies minn Robert Abela ‘l isfel, ma jafux jistħu. Għada nidħlu fid-dettall ta’ dawn il-ħniżrijiet il-ġodda tal-gvern.

The public land grab continues – Labour governs in the interests of the few

Another year has passed, and we still see that illegal development along the coast is in full swing.  Despite protesting this last year, following years of speaking out about this abuse. Parliament gave its blessing – PL as the incumbent government and PN as the Opposition – and awarded those who defrauded the public.  This was said by the ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson, Sandra Gauci, when she addressed, together with Secretary General Ralph Cassar, a press conference by the development site along the Qawra coast. 

With the blessing of Parliament, a 2 million euro fine to be paid in instalments, and an annual rent of €138,000, everything has been forgiven and forgotten.  And now it is a case of giving a finger and they will take the whole hand, as the developer is now expecting to expand this illegal development to the detriment of the residents of St Paul’s Bay.  

This is all being done with the blessing of the Planning Authority, which if it really had the interests of the residents at heart, could have noticed all the discrepancies and errors in the development being proposed for the coast between the Suncrest and the Sunny Coast.  Rather than close an eye, it has closed both eyes.  The St Paul’s Bay council voted against this project due to concerns that this will have a negative impact on traffic in the area whilst insisting that the study should be of a more recent date taking into account current realities, and not a study based on data collected during 2017 and 2018 – a study conducted nearly 9 years ago.

Traffic and parking are already serious problems in the locality and neglect concerning something so important shows that residents are being treated with indifference and arrogance, which reveals that they are not valued at all.  The fact that no alternative is planned for a street planned to be used for the project is of great concern, especially for those who need to access the boathouses and the sea.

Given the serious state of neglect along the whole coast, a number of questions need to be asked.  Who oversees its maintenance?  Is it possible that the Planning Authority is unaware of the situation?  Is it possible that the rubber stamping is so prevalent that obvious issues such as parking and access are being ignored?

Over the years the coast along St Paul’s Bay has been subjected to salami slicing, a practice whereby a development is planned in piecemeal fashion to facilitate its approval rather than seeing a whole development in its totality.  Now under the PL government and in the past during an PN administration, these obscenities were allowed to occur, slowly eating away at the public’s free access to the coast as well as the view.  One government after another, this has been allowed to happen.

Ralph Cassar highlighted how over the years, access to the coastline has also been taken away by lidos and their deckchairs.  In a place like St Paul’s Bay, a densely populated locality with very few open spaces, every centimetre counts. This situation year on year is especially compounded given the high volume of tourists that holiday here.  We are practically walking and bumping into each other on the streets and coast.  This situation is quite claustrophobic, and it seems that the authorities refuse to take note of this. To make matters even worse the government proposes a Vision 2050 with more and more tourism and more destruction of our coast and sea. As long as they are giving in to the moneyed bullies, all is well.  We, however, remain steadfast with our position and will continue to be the voice of the citizens. It is also worth mentioning the government’s legislative proposals for planning. We already have the law of the jungle in planning where might is right. Now the government will continue to increase opportunities for greed and destruction. Robert Abela and his colleagues know no shame. Tomorrow we will go into detail of the government’s newest disgusting planning ‘reform’.