All six of Din L-Art Helwa's serving and former Presidents have written an open letter to the Prime Minister on the state of the environment.

Such a call by all six past and present NGO presidents has never been done in the organisation's 50 years of existence protecting Malta's environmental and cultural heritage.

The letter expresses a deep concern at the current state of the environment and the government's plans for the future.

"The six Presidents of Din l-Art Ħelwa appeal to the Prime Minister to ensure that his legacy to Malta is not remembered for the further and rapid degradation of the built and rural environment.

Din l-Art Ħelwa is concerned that the government has not drafted a solidly constructed new Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development and has only issued a list of objectives without the essential detailed policies that must underpin a Plan of this nature for it to succeed".

"Malta has been left without a proper strategy for the future governance and good administration of its built and rural environment, thus inviting continued bad management and abuse to fester," the organisation said.

"The government also intends to amend the legislation to enable the Strategic Plan to be approved by the Minister of Planning alone, without proper Parliamentary scrutiny. Given that the Plan involves a change of such social, economic and environmental importance, the attempt to bypass Parliament is a retrograde step which runs directly counter to the commitment to transparency and accountability which this government made on taking office".

Moreover, a number of other decisions affecting the environment are also cause for concern for the NGO.

"The new Rural Policy, constituting a new direction for the countryside that is likely to lead inevitably to land speculation outside the development zone (ODZ), has been approved by the government without any reference to an overarching Strategic Plan and without conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment of its impact".

"A new policy for high-rise buildings in an area of Mrieħel has been approved which had not been included in the public consultation phase as is required by law," the NGO added.

"Calls for expressions of interest in land reclamation projects have been published without a Marine Spatial Plan being presented, debated or approved".

The NGO feels that these numerous development plans coming together collectively without good governance of the use of land threaten Malta's last unspoilt open spaces.  "The island's countryside and its coast, its built heritage and with it the quality of life of its citizens and visitors will lose to economic interests. Din l-Art Ħelwa's six Presidents, with this Open Letter, together appeal to the Prime Minister to uphold his government's electoral promise to protect the environment for future generations".

Caption: Past Presidents Martin Galea, Prof Anthony Bonanno, Executive President Simone Mizzi, Past Presidents Martin L A Scicluna and Petra Caruana Dingli on signing the Open Letter to the Prime Minister.  In the background, a portrait of Judge Emeritus M Caruana Curran, Founder President of Din l-Art Ħelwa.