“The fight against monied interests which seek profit at the expense of the quality of people’s lives will now move to Ħaż-Żebbuġ. Residents in Ħaż-Żebbuġ are faced with an application for a development with a total of 14 floors , 11 of them above street level. This fight is everybody’s “. AD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo was addressing a press conference in Ħaż-Żebbuġ.

The development application (PA1821 / 19) referred to is on the site of the Toyota showroom in Triq l-iMdina, Ħaż-Żebbuġ. The applicants seek permission to build a tower of eleven storeys above the ground, one of  which being a receded  floor, plus three additional floors of underground parking. This land is approximately 11,000 square meters in area.
AD has already been in contact with several residents, who are rightly worried, because this tower has no place in Ħaż-Żebbug and will have a considerable impact on the neighborhood and its residents.

Nowhere in the policies of the Planning Authority is there indicated that it should approve buildings of this kind in Ħaż-Żebbuġ. This development is considered a medium-height building and the planning policies reserve these to specific locations. It should be noted that planning policies are often written in ambiguous language that often leave elbow room for interpretations which favour the powerful and monied interests. The excuses used are usually regeneration or creation of jobs.

The proposed development will include a supermarket, shops, offices and facilities offering services in health, including a gym along with a car park for 908 cars. The impacts on people are many. The most obvious one is that it will impair the skyline. It will also generate more traffic in a place which cannot take more and more cars, congestion and traffic. It will generate shadows on the neighbouring properties. Some residents can just throw away their photovoltaic panels or solar water heaters.

“Powerful interests have turned their sight on Ħaż-Żebbuġ. Residents need our help and support in the ongoing fight against uncontrolled development and so called ‘business firnedly’ policies which have no respect for anyone but seek to bend over backwards to make sure that profits come before people”concluded Carmel Cacopardo.

During the press conference the Green Party presented its candidate for the Ħaż-Żebbuġ Local Council: 26 year old Samuel Muscat.

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Il-politika ‘business friendly’ kontra n-nies waslet Ħaż-Żebbuġ

“Il-ġlieda kontra s-saħħa tal-flus li jfittex il-profitt a skapitu tal-kwalità tal-ħajja tan-nies issa se tiċċaqlaq lejn Ħaż-Żebbuġ li qed jiffaċċa applikazzjoni ta’ żvilupp b’total ta’ 14-il sular, 11 minnhom ‘il fuq mil-livell tat-triq. Din hi ġlieda ta’ kulħadd u mhux biss taż-Żebbuġin.” Dan qalu Carmel Cacopardo Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika illum, huwa u jindirizza konferenza stampa f’Ħaż-Żebbuġ.

Fuq is-sit fejn illum hemm is-showroom tat-Toyota fi Triq l-Imdina Ħaż-Żebbuġ ġiet ippreżentata applikazzjoni ta’ żvilupp (PA1821/19) biex jinbena torri ta’ ħdax-il sular ‘il fuq mill-art, b’sular minnhom irtirat ‘il ġewwa mill-faċċata, u dan flimkien ma tliet sulari addizzjonali ta’ parkeġġ taħt l-art. Dan fuq art li għandha l-qies ta’ madwar 11,000 metru kwadru.

Alternattiva Demokratika diġa tkellmet ma diversi residenti, li bir-raġun kollu huma inkwetati, għax dan it-torri mhux postu f’Ħaż-Żebbuġ u se jkollu impatt konsiderevoli fuq il-lokal u r-residenti tiegħu.

Imkien fil-policies tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar ma hemm indikat li jista’ jinbena dan it-tip ta’ bini ġo Ħaż-Żebbuġ. Dan l-iżvilupp hu meqjus bħala bini ta’ għoli medju u l-policies tal-ippjanar jirriservawh għal lokalitajiet speċifiċi lkoll imsemmija b’mod ċar. Minkejja dan għandu jingħad li l-policies tal-ippjanar huma ħafna drabi miktubin b’lingwaġġ ambigwu li ħafna drabi jippermetti flessibilità ta’ interpretazzjoni li dejjem taġevola lil min għandu s-saħħa tal-flus. Dan bl-iskuża ta’ riġenerazzjoni inkella ta’ ħolqien ta’ impjiegi.

L-iżvilupp propost se jinkludi supermarket, ħwienet, uffiċini u faċilitajiet li joffru servizzi fil-qasam tas-saħħa, inkluż gym u dan flimkien ma parkeġġ għal 908 karozza. L-impatti fuq in-nies huma bosta. L-iktar waħda ovvja hi li se jkerraħ l-iskyline ta’ Ħaż-Żebbuġ. Imma se jiġġenera ukoll iktar traffiku f’post li ma jiflaħx għal dan it-traffiku kollu. Se jiġġenera iktar dellijiet fuq il-propjetajiet tal-viċin. Xi r-residenti li għandhom il-pannelli fotovoltajċi jew solar water heaters, jistgħu jaħsbu biex jarmuhom.

“Issa jidher li waslet id-daqqa ta’ Ħaż-Żebbuġ. Ir-residenti għandhom bżonn l-għajnuna u l-appoġġ. Ngħinuhom u nappoġġawhom kif appoġġajna lil kull min kellu bżonn l-għajnuna fil-ġlieda kontinwa kontra l-iżvilupp bla rażan, u l-politika ‘business friendly’ li ma jirrispettaw lil ħadd” ikkonkluda Carmel Cacopardo.

Waqt il-konferenza stampa Alternattiva Demokratika ippreżentat il-kandidat tagħha għall-Kunsill Lokali ta’ Ħaż-Żebbuġ : Samuel Muscat, żgħażugħ ta’ 26 sena.