I refer to the embellishment of Nadur Square carried out a few years ago. I did not comment at the time to see if my gut feeling would change with time. It did not. I did not go to the meetings at the Local Council because I thought that other pillars of society would air their opinion and help to create something which would complement our beautiful church. But it was not to be. I have talked to many disgruntled people who are not happy with this project. However, it is partly their fault because they did not speak out when they should have.
I heard that the work cost hundreds of thousands of euro. And the result? The trees were removed and the square looks naked. The narrow street left in the square is one way and has become as obstacle for traffic. The finishing and work are not of a very high standard; in fact, the paving is jagged and not of good quality and some people have already fallen down and suffered broken bones. I imagine myself walking on a garigue. Maybe the plan was to celebrate the fact that the place was a garigue before the church was built. Therefore, I would suggest planting some bushes and thyme to complete the picture.
A friend of mine told me when we were playing in the local brass band, that the trees were damaging the drainage system of the nearby houses. But couldn't a solution have been found like elsewhere in the world without pulling down the trees?
It seems that some councils can get away with certain things while others cannot. Some councils were stopped from removing trees in a square. So it seems that there is no authority which vets the workings of the councils.
We do not seem to be able of planning pavements. They undulate up and down according to the whims of residents and are a perilous journey for the sure-footed, let alone for the elderly. They should be sidewalks... one should be able to walk on them by the side of the street. And one other thing about pavements. Some were paved recently but when a street or road is rebuilt, pavements are done only with cement and no proper paving. It seems that even in this, we have regressed and that there is no coordination.
I wish we could follow the good example of other countries. It is laughable to say we are cosmopolitan, which sounds posh, when we try to weaken the independent authorities, when partisan political pressure is exerted on the Civil Service, when our planning laws are vague and filled with loopholes and when an authority which should defend the natural environment seems reluctant to do so. It should side with the weak and the silent, which is the natural environment, not with the developer who has money to throw around and has the best-qualified people working for him/her.
Joe Portelli
Nadur