Today’s decision on dB’s land speculation project in Pembroke shows how planning is a perverted process which favours speculators. This is the situation in 2021. Will the process be further perverted to reach Robert Ablea’s aim for Malta as a so-called ‘centre of excellence’ by 2030?
ADPD – The Green Party’s Chairperson, Carmel Cacopardo, who also presented objections to the project during today’s meeting explained how the decision is mistaken on three counts:
- the impacts on the zone have not been considered sufficiently: the plans for the traffic tunnel to serve the needs of the speculators are still not clear. Neither are the impacts such a tunnel will have on the surrounding communities;
- the site is not suitable for the project; and
- land of such important public value should never have been given up for private profit.
This permit was possible because the masterplan for the area, which was never approved, was designed to favour profits for the rich at the expense of the public and residents – private gain, public loss. We ended up without any masterplan and a free for all – obviously favouring speculators. It is pertinent to point out that what was public land was sold to the dB Group for land speculation. The government agreed to a one-sided contract of sale extremely favourable to the dB Group. This project and those making it possible shows once again that land use planning in Malta and Gozo is skewed to favour monied interests and speculators at the expense of the public and residents of our towns and villages.
***
Pembroke: l-ippjanar għall-użu tal-art iħares biss lejn l-interessi ta’ dawk tal-flus
Id-deċizjoni tal-lum dwar il-proġett spekukattiv tad-dB f’Pembroke turi kif l-hekk imsejjaħ proċess tal-ippjanar f’pajjiżna hu proċess pervers li f’mumenti kruċjali bħal ma kien tal-lum l-unika leħen li jinstema’ hu dak tal-ispekulatur. Din hi r-realtà tal-2021, nistgħu biss nimmaġinaw il-ħmieg li se jsir fl-2030 fl-hekk imsejjaħ Malta ‘ċentru ta’ eċċellenza’ li għandu f’moħħu Robert Abela.
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Carmel Cacopardo, li ppreżenta l-oġġezzjonijiet tiegħu għall-proġett waqt il-laqgħa tal-lum qal li d-deċiżjoni hi żbaljata għal tliet raġunijiet bażiċi:
- ma tqisx biżżejjed l-impatti fuq iż-żona: il-mina li hi ippjanata li taqdi l-ħtiġijiet tal-proġett mhux ċar x’ser jigri minnha, u lanqas dwar x’effetti se jkollha fuq il-komunitatjiet tal-madwar;
- il-proġett mhux postu fis-sit magħżul; u
- art b’valur pubbliku m’għandhiex tintuża għal gwadann privat.
Dan il-permess kien possibbli li jseħħ għax il-pjan olistiku (masterplan) li kien imfassal xi żmien ilu ma kienx jaħseb fin-nies iżda fil-profitti u kellu jitwarrab. Imma spiċċajna bla pjan li jħares b’mod ħolistiku lejn l-inħawi kollha. Ninnutaw ukoll li l-art ingħatat għal proġett spekulattiv b’kuntratt li qajjem bosta dubji. Dan il-proġett ghal darba oħra juri li l-ippjanar għall-użu tal-art f’Malta u f’Għawdex ma jagħtix każ tan-nies imma jħares biss lejn l-interessi ta’ dawk tal-flus
