“What do all the public announcements by Government regarding investment in open spaces mean if the little that is left are being slated for development?” ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo asked this at a press conference in Santa Luċija this morning addressing the need for open spaces as an essential element for a better quality of life.

ADPD – The Green Party Deputy Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that more and more open spaces are being destroyed due to the greed of certain developers who only focus on how to best fill their pockets, continuously disregarding that which is beneficial for the local communities. Their attitude ignores the mental health of residents and the quality of life that should be measured not by the bank account balance but on living serenely and having time for your personal and family life.

The locality of today’s press conference – Santa Luċija – had been built around this concept but today the residents’ quality of life is being threatened not just with a building that will rise above, disfigure and stand out from the rest of the neighbourhood. A civic centre building and landscaping works will also undermine the characteristics of this locality and its way of life. The development will generate an excessive amount of dust and traffic in this locality which is relatively quiet when compared to other urban areas. Whereas previously one thought that one’s hometown will be spared from being a developers’ target, many are now realizing that the developers’ greed might reach one’s doorstep and no locality – no matter how small – will be spared.

The fact that over 1,000 of a total of around 3,000 residents have objected to this development indicates how negatively this is going to affect them: they should be listened to. They should not be treated as second class citizens. Many of them are senior citizens, and all they wish for is to live in peace and enjoy their own homes. The threat of having your daylight blocked out by party walls, alongside the dust and vibrations created from the excavations are very much a reality that with some foresight can be avoided, concluded Gauci.

ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that one of the lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic was that the lack of open spaces affected the mental health of those that were locked in their homes.

The locality of Santa Luċija had been planned in such a manner that many open spaces were left purposely undeveloped in order to be enjoyed by its residents. Indeed, this model, which should have been adopted to improve the quality of life of residents, has been discarded and forgotten over time. Instead, we have intensive development that simply seeks to maximize profit.

The proposed development in Santa Luċija (Planning Authority application number PA5152/22) seeks to take over a 1,273 square metre open space and develop within it almost 50 residences and 75 garages over five floors. This will threaten the unique character of this locality and change its topography with a building that exceeds its neighbourhood by two or three floors. This open space had been originally designed to offer an essential lung for the local community. Without it the quality of life of this locality’s residents will suffer immensely.

This application is a direct consequence of the local plans and the rationalisation exercise thanks to which in 2006 two million square metres of land that were previously open spaces or outside the development zone were earmarked for development. In spite of all the criticism from various quarters the parties in parliament have not had the courage to stand up against this senseless overdevelopment. ADPD – The Gren Party has long been maintaining that the few open spaces remaining within our urban zones should remain as such to offer an essential lung for our communities.

While on the one hand the Ministry for the Environment insists on the need for open spaces, the Planning Authority is repeatedly approving applications for existing open spaces to be developed in an intensive manner as in the case of this project in Santa Luċija. Once again, the residents’ quality of life is being threatened by commercial interests who ride roughshod over their needs, concluded Cacopardo.

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L-ispazji miftuħa huma meħtieġa iktar minn qatt qabel

X’jiswa li l-Gvern jibqa’ għaddej b’ħafna retorika dwar investiment fi spazji miftuħa jekk il-ftit li baqa’ qed iħallihom jingħataw għall-bini? Dan qalu waqt konferenza stampa f’Santa Luċija dalgħodu Carmel Cacopardo, Chairperson ta’ ADPD – the Green Party huwa u jitkellem dwar il-ħtieġa tal-ispazji miftuħa bħala element essenzjali għal kwalità tal-ħajja aħjar.

Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Sandra Gauci qalet li l-ispazji miftuħa kulma jmur f’Malta qegħdin dejjem jonqsu għax il-kilba ta’ ċertu żviluppaturi tmur lilhinn minn x’inhu ta’ ġid għan-nies u tiffoka fuq x’inhu ta’ ġid għal buthom biss. Tinjora kompletament is-saħħa mentali tar-residenti u l-kwalità tal-ħajja li mhux ikkalkulata b’kemm għandek flus il-bank imma kemm tgħix f’paċi u għandek ħin għal ħajja personali tiegħek u għal ma’ tal-familja.
Il-lokalità li qegħdin fiha illum, Santa Luċija, inbniet b’dan il-għan u bħalissa l-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti qed tiġi mhedda mhux biss b‘bini għoli li se jkerrah u jistona mal-bini tal-madwar iżda wkoll bini ta ċentru ċiviku u xogħol ta’ landscaping li se jnaqqar aktar il-karatteristici ta’ dan ir-raħal kif ukoll il-kwalità tal-ħajja tiegħu. Dan riżultat tal-ammont ta’ trab u traffiku li se jiġġeneraw fejn bħalissa huwa pjuttost kwiet meta nikkumparawh ma’ postijiet oħra urbanizzati. Fejn qabel wieħed kien jaħseb li l-lokalità tiegħu ma kienitx se jispiċċa taħt il-mannara tal-iżviluppaturi, issa forsi kulħadd qed jirrealizza li l-kilba tal-iżviluppaturi għall-flus tista’ ssibha wara biebek u li l-ebda lokalità żgħira kemm hi żgħira ma hi ser teħlisha.

Li jkollok aktar minn elf resident li jippreżenta ilment kontra dan il-bini minn lokalità ta’ kważi 3000 ruħ turi kemm dan il-proġett se jeffettwa b’mod negattiv lir-residenti. Dawn għandhom jingħataw widen. M’għandhomx jiġu trattati bħala ċittadini tat-tieni klassi:  ħafna minnhom huma residenti anzjani li kulma jridu hu li jkomplu jgħixu l-ħajja trankwilla b’moħħhom mistrieh fid-dar tagħhom. Il-biża’ li tispiċċa fid-dlam meta tittawwal mit-tieqa u tara ħajt ma’ wiċċek, apparti t-trabijiet mill-iskavar u t-theżżiz li jipperikola l-bini eżistenti huma theddidiet reali li b’naqra ħsieb jistgħu jiġu evitati, temmet tgħid Gauci.

Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD – The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo qal li waħda mit-tagħlimiet mill-pandemija tal-Covid-19 kien kemm in-nuqqas ta’ spazji miftuħa ħalla impatt fuq is-saħħa mentali ta’ dawk li spiċċaw magħluqin bejn l-erba’ ħitan ta’ djarhom.

Il-lokalità ta’ Santa Luċija kienet ġiet ippjanata b’tali mod u manjiera li tħallew ħafna spazji miftuħa għat-tgawdija tar-residenti. Tabilħaqq dan kellu jkun mudell ta’ żvilupp li jtejjeb il-kwalita’ tal-ħajja tar-residenti imma li matul is-snin ġie skartat u minsi. Minflok għandna żvilupp intensiv ta’ l-art li jfittex biss li jimmassimizza il-profitti.

Il-proġett propost f’Santa Luċija permezz tal-applikazzjoni numru PA5152/22 proprju jieħu spazju miftuħ ta’ 1,273 metru kwadru u jiżviluppah fi kważi 50 residenzi u 75 garaxxijiet fuq ħames sulari. Dan se jkun ta’ theddida għal karattru uniku ta’ din il-lokalita’ u jbiddel il-fiżjonomija tagħha b’bini li huwa żewġ jew tliet sulari ogħla minn dak tal-madwar. Dan l-ispazju kien parti mid-disinn oriġinali tal-lokalità, intiż bħala spazju miftuħ biex joffri pulmun essenzjali lill-komunità. Mingħajru il-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti tieħu daqqa ‘l isfel.

Din l-applikazzjoni hija konsegwenza diretta tal-pjanijiet lokali u r-rationalisation exercise tal-2006 li riżultat tiegħu, 2 miljun metru kwadru ta’ art saru tajjeb għall-iżvilupp meta qabel kienu jew spazju miftuħ inkella barra miż-żona tal- żvilupp. Minkejja l-kritika kollha li saret minn diversi naħat il-partiti fil-parlament, dakinhar, ma’ kellhomx il-kuraġġ li jgħidu “issa daqshekk” għal dan l-iżvilupp bla sens. ADPD – the Green Party ilha tinsisti li l-ftit spazji li għad fadal mhux mittiefsa f’żoni urbani għandhom jibqgħu hekk għax joffru pulmun essenzjali għall-komunità.

Filwaqt li l-Ministru tal-Ambjent qegħda tisħaq fuq il-ħtieġa ta’ spazji miftuħa, għandek l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar li ripetutament tkompli tapprova li spazji miftuħa eżistenti jiġu żviluppati b’mod mill-aktar intensiv bħalma hija din ta’ Santa Luċija. Għal darba oħra il-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti qegħda tiġi mhedda minn min għax għandu l-flus jiflaħ iħawwel, temm Cacopardo.