The time has come that as ADPD proposed in several Electoral Manifestos, development projects that will leave a disproportionate impact on the surrounding residents should require the approval of the same residents, since we cannot rely on the authorities to protect our rights as citizens who have the right to live in peace in our homes. ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson, Sandra Gauci said this at a press conference against the backdrop of the massive development on the site where the Mistra Village in Xemxija used to be.

ADPD Deputy Chairperson, Carmel Cacopardo said that what we are seeing here is a typical example of how the authorities many a time, instead of protecting the interests of society and the common citizen favours those with power and money.

The residents of this area have been suffering for months now from noise and dust plumes at all times of the day, thanks to a so-called planning system which favours the developer to the detriment of the common citizen. This is happening in an area where, in summer, excavation work is not supposed to be allowed.

The current permit for development on this site was renewed in February 2019 even though no work had been done here until then. This is despite the fact that the Planning law requires that in this case there should have been a reconsideration of the development in the light of new policies that came into force since the original permit was issued.

This was confirmed by the Court of Appeal last May, which declared that even though the developer had submitted the commencement notice, this alone was not enough to satisfy the rules on the renewal of development permits.

It was this decision of the Court that led to a frenzy of excavation work which is causing great damage to the health of the residents because the developer is trying to bend the rules to renew his permit. Moreover there is no monitoring of the excessive noise and dust that is being generated.

It is yet another case where the interests of the residents are being completely ignored and where the developers are literally being allowed to do as they please with the blessing of the regulatory authorities, which are failing their duties. This case leads to the justified observation that the authorities are failing their duties, because they do not provide any refuge for the resident, concluded Cacopardo.

ADPD- The Green Party Chairperson, Sandra Gauci said that once again ADPD is at the forefront in standing up for the interests of residents who are affected by such projects as we were with residents in L-Iklin, in Marsaskala, and in Birżebbuġa, among many other localities.

We insist again that there is a need for a moratorium on large projects, these are simply not needed. Even more so when we know the huge number of empty residences in our country. In fact, this very locality – St Paul’s Bay – has the largest number of unused places in Malta. According to the latest Census, 36.3 per cent of residences in St Paul’s Bay are empty or barely used. Why build more apartments when we already know that most of them will remain vacant?

We also insist that no work is carried out on sites about which a planning appeal has been submitted. There is a need for the authorities to really protect the common good and for the residents to be listened to as an important part of the planning process for such massive developments.

The Planning Authority needs to really do what it was founded for – Making Malta and Gozo a more pleasant and desirable place to live (as stated in its mission and vision statement) – and stop giving permits blindly without analyzing in depth the impacts of what is being proposed.

Perhaps the time has come, as we previously proposed in Electoral Manifestos, that for development projects that will leave a disproportionate impact on the surrounding residents should require the approval of the same residents, since we cannot rely on the authorities to protect our rights as citizens, who have the right to live in peace in our homes, concluded Gauci.

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Ir-residenti għandu jkollhom dritt li jiddeciedu dwar żvilupp li jkun se jolqothom

Wasal iż-żmien li kif ipproponejna f’diversi Manifesti Elettorali, proġetti ta’ żvilupp li se jħallu impatt sproporzjonat fuq ir-residenti tal-madwar għandhom ikunu jeħtieġu l-approvazzjoni tal-istess residenti, ġaladarba ma nistgħux noqgħodu fuq l-awtoritajiet biex iħarsu id-drittijiet tagħna bħala ċittadini li għandna d-dritt ngħixu fil-paċi ġo djarna. Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party, Sandra Gauci qalet dan fi sfond ta’ l-iżvilupp li qiegħed isir fis-sit ta’ fejn qabel kien hemm il-Mistra Village fix-Xemxija.

Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD, il-Perit Carmel Cacopardo qal li dak li qegħdin naraw hawnhekk huwa eżempju tipiku ta’ kif l-awtoritajiet bosta drabi flok qegħdin iħarsu l-interessi tas-soċjetà u taċ-ċittadini komuni jaġevolaw aktar lil dawk li għandhom il-poter tal-flus.

Ir-residenti ta’ din iz-zona issa ilhom ix-xhur isofru minn ħsejjes u trabiijiet esaġerati f’kull ħin tal-ġurnata sforz ta’ sistema hekkimsejjħa tal-ippjanar li madankollu kontinwament tiffavorixxi lill-iżviluppatur għad-dannu taċ-ċittadin komuni. Dan qed isir f’żona fejn, fis-sajf suppost ma jsirx xogħol ta’ skavar!

Il-permess kurrenti għall-iżvilupp f’dan is-sit kien ġie imġedded fi Frar tal-2019 minkejja li sa dakinhar ma kienu saru l-ebda xogħolijiet hawnhekk. Dan minkejja li r-regoli tal-Ippjanar  jeżiġu li f’dan il-każ kellu jkun hemm konsiderazzjoni mill-ġdid tal-iżvilupp fid-dawl ta’ policies ġodda li ġew fis-seħħ minn meta kien inħareġ il-permess oriġinali.

Dan kien ikkonfermat mill-Qorti ta’ l-Appell f’Mejju li ghadda, illi iddikkjarat li minkejja li l-iżviluppatur kien issottometta l-avviż tal-bidu ta’ xogħolijiet (commencement notice) dan wahdu ma kienx biżżejjed biex jissodisfa r-regoli dwar it-tiġdid ta’ permessi ta’ żvilupp.

Kienet din id-deċiżjoni tal-Qorti li wasslet għal ġenn sfrenat ta’ xogħol ta’ skavar li qiegħed jikkawża dannu kbir għas-saħħa tar-residenti għax l-iżviluppatur qed jipprova jdur mar-regoli biex il-permess jiġġeddidlu.

Lanqas qiegħed isir moniteraġġ tal-istorbju esaġerat u t-trabijiet li qegħdin jiġu ġġenerati.

Huwa każ ieħor fejn l-interessi tar-residenti qegħdin jiġu kompletamenti injorati u fejn l-iżviluppaturi qegħdin jitħallew literallment jagħmlu li jridu bil-barka tal-awtoritajiet li suppost jirregolawhom. F’każ bħal dan hu ġustifikat li ngħidu li l-awtoritajiet qegħdin hawn għalxejn, għax ma fihomx ħajt ta’ kenn għar-resident, temm jgħid Cacopardo.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD, Sandra Gauci qalet li għal darb’oħra ADPD qegħda fuq quddiem biex tħares l-interessi tar-residenti li jisfaw milquta minn proġetti bħal dawn bħalma konna mar-residenti fl-Iklin, f’Marsaskala, f’Birżebbuġa, fost ħafna lokalitajiet oħra.

Nerġgħu ninsistu li hemm bżonn ta’ moratarju immedjat fuq proġetti kbar li jipproduċu l-flats bħal pastizzi, progetti li m’hemmx bżonnhom, aktar u aktar meta nafu bin-numru ta’ residenzi  battala li nsibu f’pajjiżna. Fil-fatt, f’din il-lokalità stess – San Pawl il-Baħar – għandna l-akbar numru ta’ postijiet mhux użati b’mod sħiħ f’Malta: 36.3 fil-mija tal-bini residenzjali f’San Pawl il-Baħar, skond l-ahhar Ċensiment hu vojt inkella ftit jintuża. Għaliex se jinbnew aktar appartamenti hawn meta nafu diġà li ħafna minnhom se jibqgħu battala?

Ninsistu ukoll li l-ebda xogħol ma jitwettaq f’siti li dwarhom ikun tressaq appell tal-ippjanar, sakemm l-appell jinqata’. Hemm bżonn li l-aworitatijiet verament iħarsu l-ġid komuni u li r-residenti jingħataw widen bħala parti importanti mill-proċess tal-ippjanar.

L-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar hemm bżonn li verament tagħmel dak li għalih ġiet imwaqqfa – Nagħmlu lil Malta u Għawdex post aktar pjaċevoli u mixtieq fejn wieħed jgħix (kif insibu fil-Mission and vision statement tagħha) – u tieqaf tagħti permessi bl-addoċċ mingħajr ma tanalizza fil-fond l-impatti ta’ dak li qiegħed jiġi propost.

Forsi wasal iż-żmien li kif ipproponejna f’Manifesti Elettorali diversi, proġetti ta’ żvilupp li se jħallu impatt sproporzjonat fuq ir-residenti tal-madwar għandhom ikunu jeħtieġu l-approvazzjoni  ta’ l-istess residenti, ġaladarba ma nistgħux noqgħodu fuq l-awtoritajiet biex iħarsu id-drittijiet tagħna bħala ċittadini li għandna d-dritt ngħixu fil-paċi ġo djarna, temmet tgħid Gauci.