The Malta Developers Association President’s involvement with the Labour Party has been described as “obscene” by environmentalist Astrid Vella of Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar.
Sandro Chetcuti acted as a PL counting agent in last May’s European Parliament election. Earlier this year, after sections of the press claimed that Mr Chetcuti was meeting contractors at the Labour Party headquarters, PL CEO Gino Cauchi insisted that Sandro Chetcuti is a party volunteer who has helped out in fund-raising activities.
(Sandro Chetcuti)
In an interview published in The Malta Independent today, the Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar coordinator said this “is not only sending out the wrong message but it is obscene. Lobbying is common practice all over the world but this is extreme lobbying where there are vested interests by those holding the reins of power.”
Mrs Vella insisted that, in the planning sector, the government is deciding almost exclusively in favour of developers. “I emphasise on the word ‘almost’ because the authorities did take a couple of brave decisions lately, including the protection of gardens in city houses and the ban on semi-basement apartments.”
Mrs Vella insisted that FAA is not against developers or development. “On the contrary, we would like to see them have more work, as long as it does not do any more harm to the environment, like restoration of old vacant properties. We are against abuse only.”
The FAA coordinator also warned against politicians and developers being close since ministers sometimes have the final say on planning matters. “The 2006 Local Plans were ‘modified’ by certain ministries before they went to Parliament.”
Government’s policy is ‘develop at all cost’
“The claim that we have become less vocal since Labour was elected to power is ridiculous, and I will not accept these comments from those who do not bother to inform themselves on what we are doing,” says Astrid Vella, coordinator of Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar and one of Malta’s most vociferous environmental activists.
Reacting to speculation that FAA, or indeed Astrid Vella, is holding back from criticising the government, Mrs Vella says the NGO has been working just as hard, if not more than during the last PN administration. “Do these people not read the newspapers or watch the news? Did they not read about our campaign against the Marsa cement silo, which might be contaminating the wheat used to bake their bread? Did they not read how we criticised the government on the high-rise policy, on land reclamation and on the proposed Gozo bridge?”
The environmentalist pointed out that she had not been afraid to go on the PL’s TV channel during the last electoral campaing and criticising Leo Brincat for the PL’s “lack of environmental vision and policies.” The national protest organised by FAA eight months into this legislature was, perhaps, the strongest proof that FAA will not be silenced and will not align itself to any political party. “We never held a national protest like that before. That is saying something.”
Developers pushing government
So who is worse when it comes to development and environmental issues? “The previous administration was involved in many shocking and scandalous cases but, unfortunately, the current administration is putting too much effort in pushing the construction industry. It is a case of develop at all costs.” Mrs Vella says politicians from both sides of the spectrum have been going on for the past 20 years that the construction industry is a pillar of our economy, rivalling the tourism industry, but in reality the two are not comparable. “Apart from the fact that the tourism industry employs five or six times as many workers, construction is harming tourism. What politicians do not tell us is that many tourists who visit Malta never come again. Tourists do not want to see construction sites and cranes everywhere.”
Redevelop and Restore, instead of building more
According to the environmentalist, another myth that needs to be busted once and for all is that Malta needs to introduce high-rise buildings or expand construction over virgin land. “There are more than 40,000 vacant properties, most of which are relatively new. What we need is to redevelop properties that are unlivable, such as semi-basement apartments, and restore older properties. We neither need to build upwards nor sideways.” Mrs Vella said the government should heed FAA’s calls to provide more restoration training schemes because there are simply not enough workers for this kind of work.
MEPA hindered by personal interests and money
So what about MEPA? Is it not supposed to be guarding against abuse? “Many MEPA workers are honest and hard working but unfortunately, within the authority there are personal interests and big money. The expert opinions of these honest workers is often overruled.”
Mrs Vella says many injustices happen at MEPA. “Permits filed by the strong are fast-tracked but normal citizens, like someone who applies to change a garage door, would have to wait some five years to have his permit issued. There are many cases of two weights and two measures. This are grave injustices.”
The FAA coordinator also criticised the planning authority for spending hundreds of thousands of euro on various reports and studies that are then completely ignored.
“Let us take the examples of the high-rise and land reclamation policies. MEPA commissioned an expert on high-rise structures from Chicago. He came to Malta confident that high-rise buildings were the solution for our country but after he conducted a serious six-week study his completely changed his mind and insisted that high-rise is not an option for us. Besides, other studies show that tall buildings have adverse effects on our health, especially in cases like ours when the roads are so narrow and the buildings so close to each other.”
Apart from pollution, the lack of natural lighting is also another worrying factor. “Psychiatrists are now seeing mental conditions similar to those reported in Scandinavian countries, where the winters are long and dark. Lack of natural lighting can lead to depression and stress. The reports are there, clear as day, but the idea of high-rise structures is still being pushed forward.”
The Land Reclamation fantasy
Astrid Vella says the government is turning a blind eye on reports that warned against another controversial proposal – land reclamation. “FAA has insisted right from the start that big land reclamation projects could harm the marine environment and, as a result, tourism. Even the construction of a small slipway in St Paul’s Bay had disastrous consequences, let alone building an artificial island.”
The environmentalist sais politicians keep insisting that Malta should emulate countries like Dubai or Hong Kong without realising that ours is a different story altogether. “All the countries that reclaimed land have a common factor; shallow and calm seas, and they still encountered problems. Dubai was chosen because the sea is only two metres deep but what politicians will not tell you is that Dubai’s land reclamation project was a complete failure. They had to build three islands but they stopped halfway through the second one because the first one is sinking.”
Mrs Vella says MEPA is “dishing out these proposals like pastizzi,” without looking at the same studies commissioned by the authority and despite their recommendations. “Why is MEPA wasting taxpayer money on reports it will only ignore?”
MEPA ‘lied’ on San Blas
Turning to recent controversies, Astrid Vella says MEPA did not tell the truth on the San Blas fiasco. The Malta Independent had uncovered illegal development by Gozitan entrepreneur Joseph Portelli and MEPA enforcement officers halted the works after the reports were published. But Mrs Vella insisted that the authority had ignored earlier reports by members of the public.
“The person who lodged a report had mainly complained about the illegal kiosk at the bay, but he had also told MEPA that there were other illegal developments in the vicinity. Yet his information was ignored. When someone tells MEPA about illegal developments in the area the authority should conduct a serious investigation, but this did not happen in this case. Complaints by members of the public fall on deaf ears. That is why the public turns to us or to the media. MEPA dishes out some €7 million in salaries yearly. We should not be doing their work for them.”
Compensating illegalities ‘an insult’
Mrs Vella described as an insult to the public the news that the owner of an illegal restaurant in Mgarr ix-Xini, Gozo, will be given compensation for loss of business during the filming of a Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie. “This is an insult, especially to honest businesspersons who follow the rules. It is as much an insult as the penalties served to owners of kiosks in Sliema who illegally occupy public land to fit more tables and chairs. The fines are ridiculously low and these ‘businessmen’ make that amount in just one hour from a single table. The message that is being sent across is that illegality pays. This is just like the ‘build now sanction later’ policy. MEPA knows who these people are yet it does not take any action.”
Caqnu ‘icon’ of the strong who always get their way
Turning to Montekristo Estates and the Charles Polidano, ic-Caqnu, Astrid Vella said that reports of illegal development on virgin land have been coming in for at least ten years. “It is useless for MEPA to put on a show with the army and police supposedly to stop illegal construction at Montekristo when in fact nothing has changed. Charles Polidano is the ultimate icon of the strong who do as they please.”
On Montekristo’s illegal zoo, which was advertised as one of the main attractions at this month’s Fiera l-Kbira, the FAA coordinator says that, at the very least it should be closed to the public. “Charles Polidano has tried to blame MEPA for not issuing permits for larger enclosures for the animals. He should never have built the zoo before the permits were issued.
White Rocks does not need to be expanded
On the White Rocks complex, which is set to be developed into upmarket hotels and homes, Mrs Vella says the project footprint should not be enlarged. The government has announced that the project will be based on an area of 45 hectares but the wide sprawling complex only accounts for 38% of that area. “We are always in favour of redevelopment of abandoned zones but the project should not exceed the existing footprint and the surrounded garigue habitat should not be tampered with. Tourists are nowadays looking for ecological and environmental tourism and that is what we should focus on.”
On the Gozo bridge proposal, which seems to have been put on the back burner, Mrs Vella said FAA had always criticised the project, which could do irreparable harm to marine habitats, and intisted that the solution is to invest and create new jobs in Gozo.
FAA not all about criticising
Astrid Vella says Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar is still campaigning, amongst other things, against the constrution of an “illegal” cement silo in Marsa, right next to the grain terminal. “Their own experts concluded that there is no way of ensuring that toxic cement particles do not contaminate the grain we use for our bread.”
But she insists that the NGO is not all about criticising and being negative. “50% of our work is towards cultural awareness. FAA organises very succesful talks and walks and cultural events and encourages tourists to come to Malta. We have undertaken restoration projects. We have restored the altarpiece of St Anne at Fort St Angelo and have now undertaken the restoration of a very unique medieval altarpiece at the Augustinian Priory in Rabat. This is considered to be one of Malta’s finest art treasures becuse there is so little medieval art in Malta and because this four panel altarpiece is of such high quality. We are not just about objecting.”