Rationalisation 2006 – The speculators want more

At a press conference in the outskirts of Mosta, near the Torri Cumbo, Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party has once again called out land speculators. Their insatiable greed, aided and abetted by the PLPN duo, has led to overdevelopment and the destruction of open spaces and fields all over Malta and Gozo.

The land in Mosta measures approximately 40,500 square metres. Around two years ago a very similar Planning Control application had already been rejected by the Planning Authority.

“This is yet another area of land which in 2006, the Government of the day had changed its status from ODZ to land inside the development scheme. The Labour Party in Parliament had voted against the so called ‘rationalisation’, while the Nationalist Party, to the delight of speculators, had voted in favour of this destruction.”

“The Planning Authority will now consider the application PC021/19 which asks for this area to be developed into three-storey buildings with semi-basements, and a height of 17.50 metres from street level.”

“The area is proposed to be split into individual plots of different sizes. If this land is developed we will end up with a considerable number of empty properties, adding to stock of empty properties.”

“Earlier this week, on behalf of Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party, I submitted an objection to this application for these reasons:

  1. another application had already been rejected by the Executive Council of the Plannig Authority. Today’s application is identical to the original application (PC039/09). The logical conclusion is that the grounds for refusal of the original application still hold;
  2. the development proposed is very intensive, with too few open spaces;
  3. that the proposal ignores the fact that the Mosta cemetery needs to grow.It does not take into account the minimum distance by law of the cemetery from theresidential area;
  4. Torri Cumbo is cultural heritage which requires a buffer zone around it. This is ignored by the proposal;
  5. the proposal should be accompanied by justification and rationale for the development, and details of the social and environmental impacts of the development. The cumulative impact of this developement and of other development in the area should be assessed. There is no hint of any impact assessments in the development proposal. In fact there wasn’t even any assessment of impacts in the previous refused application.”

“This is not the only area bearing the brunt of the 2006 decision in favour of speculators, another example is Triq Dun Mikiel Xerri in Attard. Alternattiva Demokratika invites the Labour Party, unless it changed its mind since its 2006 vote against ‘rationalisation’, to be consistent and now that it is in Government to take the necessary steps against rampant development and land speculation”, concluded Carmel Cacopardo.

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Razzjonalizazzjoni 2006 – L-ispekulaturi jridu iktar

Waqt konferenza stampa fil-periferija tal-Mosta, ħdejn it-Torri Cumbo, Alternattiva Demokratika reġgħet semmgħet leħinha dwar żvilupp żejjed u l-qerda tar-raba mill-ispekulturi.

Din l-art li fiha qies ta’ madwar 40,500 metru kwadru, dwarha fl-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar reggħet daħlet applikazzjoni biex jiġi deċiż l-żvilupp li se jkun possibbli fuqha(planning control application). Applikazzjoni simili, madwar sentejn ilu, kienet ġiet rifjutata.

“Din hi medda oħra ta’ art li fl-2006 l-Gvern ta’ dakinhar kien iddeċieda li tista’ tinbena. Dakinhar il-Partit Laburista fil-Parlament kien ivvota kontra filwaqt li l-Partit Nazzjonalista kien ivvota favur din il-qerda.”

“L-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar se tikkonsidra l-applikazzjoni PC 021/19 li biha f’din iż-żona se jkun permess żvilupp ta’ tliet sulari u semi-basement b’bini ta’ għoli ta’ 17.50 metru minn wiċċ it-triq. L-art hi mqassma f’numru ta’ plots individwali ta’ qisien differenti. Din l-art, meta tinbena tista’ iżżid numru konsiderevoli ta’ propjetajiet vojta ma dawk li diġa hemm.”

“Iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa, f’isem Alternattiva Demokratika issottomettejt oġġezzjoni għal din l-applikazzjoni għal dawn ir-raġunijiet :

  1. din l-applikazzjoni diġa ġiet ippreżentata u kienet rifjutata mill-Kunsill Eżekuttiv tal-Awtorità. Fl-applikazzjoni tal-lum ma inbidel xejn mill-applikazzjoni oriġinali (PC039/09) u allura s-sens komun inevitabilment iwasslek għall-konklużjoni loġika li r-raġunijiet ta’ rifjut dakinnhar għadhom validi;
  2. li l-proposta ta’ żvilupp hi waħda intensiva b’wisq toroq u bi ftit spazji miftuħa.
  3. li l-proposta tinjora l-fatt li inevitabilment se jkun hemm ħtieġa ta’ tkabbir taċ-ċimiterju. Lanqas ma tittieħed konsiderazzjoni tad-distanza minima li ċ-ċimiterju jrid iżomm miż-żona residenzjali;
  4. li t-Torri Cumbo huwa wirt kulturali li jeħtieġ protezzjoni b’mod partikolari b’żona protettiva madwaru, dan hu injorat mill-proposta;
  5. li l-proposta sottomessa għandha tkun akkumpanjata ma ġustifkazzjoni għala qed issir fil-forma attwali, u b’mod partikolari dwar x’inhuma l-impatti soċjali u ambjentali tagħha. Għandu jkun analizzat l-impatt kumulattiv fuq l-inħawi li jieħu in konsiderazzjoni kemm tal-proposta tal-lum kif ukoll tal-iżvilupp li diġa sar. Dan kollu ma sarx. La qiegħed isir illum u l-anqas ma sar fl-applikazzjoni preċedenti.”

“Bħal din l-art hemm medded oħra ta’ art li kemm-il darba tkellimna fuqhom, inkluż fi Triq Dun Mikiel Xerri, fit-tarf ta’ Ħ’Attard, viċin t’hawnhekk. Alternattiva Demokratika tistieden lill-Partit Laburista li fl-2006 ivvota kontra l-iżvilupp ta’ din l-art u oħrajn bħalha, biex ikun konsistenti u jieħu l-passi neċessarji, dejjem sakemm ma reġax bdielu, issa li qiegħed fil-Gvern”, temm jgħid Carmel Cacopardo.

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