Government is conjuring up creative excuses for its appropriation of open spaces for development, often citing business interests or for the benefit of public health. Under some pretext or other, open public spaces are being gobbled up for development. This needs to stop at once. This was declared by ADPD’s Chairperson, Sandra Gauci, who addressed a press conference in Ħal Balzan, together with Samuel Vella, a Green local council candidate for this locality.

Samuel Vella, a new ADPD local council candidate for Ħal Balzan, said that the protection of the locality’s environment will be his priority. This, not only in terms of safeguarding existing public spaces, but that these are expanded in order to minimise the impact of cars and vehicles on the locality. A case in point is the main square, which should be returned to the locality, free from cars, several days per week. This would provide a more open area, which may be enjoyed by all, especially children and the elderly, promoting healthier lifestyles, both physical and psychological.

Samuel Vella said that such an initiative would also help local businesses as it would facilitate shopping without the fear or danger of being hit by a car or vehicle, it would offer open spaces for children to play together and to participate in organised events. The local economy should be given more importance whilst we would be improving air quality due to lower air pollution by promoting walking and cycling. “It is really easy to go round Ħal Balzan on foot and by bicycle, and I want to make this safer, easier and more pleasant. Ħal Balzan deserves better, it deserves a change for the better – this change can only be brought about by those who always prioritised the environment in its policies: ADPD”, Vella concluded.

Sandra Gauci mentioned that whilst everyone was distracted with the festive season, discussions ensued on how public land in Buġibba would be transformed into a clinic with a parking area for 800 cars, all within a residential area, in a zone where there are hardly any public spaces. All the while, the coast is being eaten away, bit by bit, by the usual suspect developers with no scruples, with the blessing of the government and the authorities. One can’t have the gimmick known as Project Green underway, making a fuss over pocket gardens whilst gifting away swathes of public land for development instead of being granted to the public for recreational purposes, claimed Gauci.

The excuse of health as a pretext for development is yet another ploy of how to weaken the arguments of those who do not agree with such projects. To prove a point, there was the intention to build a home for the elderly in Għarb to the chagrin of the residents, whilst the home for the elderly in Għajnsielem was never completed. These are a few of the examples where the excuse of public health is used to steal public land, whilst the residents feel ever more suffocated and robbed of open spaces without being given alternative solutions.

One cannot say that they have the people’s health at heart whilst creating toxic environments which creates illness instead of preventing it, insisted Gauci. In the case of the Buġibba clinic, the same hand that makes one ill is offering a place where to cure the illness that in all likelihood was caused by it.

In a country where the greed to acquire is dominant, be it a pavement or public land, a beach or a property, people are finding themselves fighting for some air, for places where their children can play and run safely. With increasing obesity rates, these things should be obvious, but by the looks of it, not really. We spoke about pavements which have been occupied by tables and chairs, but everything starts to become normalised with the false reasoning that the operators must earn their living. Yes sur, make a decent living, but not at the expense of the people around you, ended Gauci.

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L-ispazji miftuħa għandhom jibqgħu għat-tgawdija ta’ kulħadd

Bl-iskuża tal-business jew issa l-moda ġdida tas-saħħa, il-gvern qed jivvinta modi kreattivi kif tittieħed l-art pubblika u l-ispazji miftuħin biex dawn jinbnew. Taħt skuża jew oħra spazji pubbliċi qegħdin dejjem jittieklu u jittieħdu għall-iżvilupp. Dan għandu jieqaf minnufih. Dan sostnietu iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD Sandra Gauci meta indirizzat konferenza stampa f’Ħal-Balzan, flimkien mal-kandidat tal-partit għall-kunsill lokali ta’ din il-lokalità Samuel Vella.

Samuel Vella, kandidat ġdid tal-ADPD għall-kunsill ta’ Ħal Balzan qal li l-protezzjoni tal-ambjent tal-lokalità tkun prijorità tiegħu. Dan mhux biss billi nipproteġu l-ispazji pubbliċi li diġà jeżistu imma li dawn jiġu estiżi billi nnaqqsu l-impatti tal-karozzi fuq il-lokalità. Il-pjazza, per ezempju, għandha tingħata lura lil-lokalità ħielsa mill-karozzi f’diversi jiem tal-ġimgħa. Dan jipprovdi aktar spazju miftuħ li jista’ jitgawda minn kulħadd, speċjalment mill-anzjani u t-tfal tagħna u jwassal għal titjib fis-saħħa tagħna lkoll, kemm dik fiżika kif ukoll dik mentali.

Samuel Vella qal li din l-inizzjattiva għanda twieżen ukoll lil kummerċ lokali minħabba li jagħmilha iktar faċli li l-pubbliku jista’ jgawdi l-lokalità tagħna mingħajr biża li ser tolqothom xi karozza, joffri spazju għat-tfal tagħna biex jilgħabu flimkien u jieħdu sehem f’avvenimenti li jiġu organizzati. L-ekonomija lokali għandha tingħata aktar importanza filwaqt li nkunu qegħdin insaħħu l-kwalità tal-arja b’inqas tniġġis billi nippromovu l-mixi u ċ-ċikliżmu. Huwa vera faċli tivvjaġġa kemm bil-pass u anke bir-rota madwar Ħal Balzan, imma rridu nagħmlu dan aktar sikur. Ħal Balzan ħaqqu aħjar, ħaqqu bidla – din il-bidla tista’ tiġi biss minn min dejjem ta prijorità lill-ambjent fil-politika tiegħu: l-ADPD, temm jgħid Vella.

Sandra Gauci bdiet billi semmiet kif waqt li kulħadd kien mehdi bil-festi kienu għaddejjin diskussjonijiet dwar kif art pubblika ġewwa Buġibba issir klinika b’parkeġġ ta’ ‘l-fuq minn 800 karozza u dan kollu ġo żona residenzjali f’post fejn l-ispazji pubbliċi huma kważi xejn. Fl-istess waqt il-kosta qiegħda tittieħed biċċa biċċa mis-soltu negozjanti bla skrupli bil-barka tal gvern u tal-awtoritajiet. Ma jistax ikollok gimmick bħal-Project Green għaddej u toqgħod tifraħ bil-pocket gardens meta għandek medda ta’ art tal-gvern li flok tingħata lin-nies għar-rikreazzjoni tispiċċa mibnija, sostniet Gauci.

L-iskuża tas-saħħa hija mod ieħor kif iddgħajjef lil min ma jaqbilx ma dawn il-proġetti. Biss biss kien hemm l-intenzjoni biex tinbena dar tal-anzjani fl-Għarb fost l-għadab tar-residenti, waqt li id-dar tal-anzjani ta’ Għajnsielem qatt ma ġiet kompluta. Dawn huma ftit mill-eżempji fejn bl-iskuża tas-saħħa tittieħed l-art u r-residenti jkomplu jħossuhom aktar fgati u misruqa mill-ispazji miftuħa mingħajr ma jingħataw soluzzjoni alternattiva.

Ma nistgħux ngħidu li għandna s-saħħa tan-nies għal qalbna u noħolqu ambjent li jmarrad lin-nies flok ma nipprevjenu l-mard, insistiet Gauci. Fil-każ tal-klinika ta’ Buġibba, l-istess id li tmarrdek qed toffrilek post fejn tinqeda mill-mard li hemm ċans li ħoloqlok huwa stess!

F’pajjiż fejn il-kilba li takkwista hija dominanti, issa jekk tkunx bankina jew art pubblika, xatt jew post, in-nies qed isibu ruħhom jiġġieldu għal naqra arja, għal post fejn it-tfal tagħhom jistgħu jiċċaqilqu li huwa sigur. Bir-rati dejjem għolja ta’ obeżità dawn l-affarijiet suppost jidhru ovvji imma milli jidher mhux daqshekk. Tkellimna fuq bankini li ttieħdu mill-imwejjed, u kważi kollox qiegħed jindara u n-nies taċċetta li huwa normali li dawn l-irregolaritajiet regolarizzati jseħħu għax miskin irid jaqla’ lira. Agħqlaha l-lira, imma mhux a skapitu tan-nies ta’ madwarek, temmet tgħid Gauci.