The new PN Spokesperson for Planning Marthese Portelli has called out the Environment and Planning Tribunal for selectively quoting certain policy to justify environmental destruction; in a Parliamentary adjournment speech calling for the protection of Wied Ghomor ahead of the Tribunal’s meeting next week to decide on an application for an elderly residence in the heart of the valley, which she said breaches a number of policies including SPED, the Local Plan, and other PA regulations.
Portelli pointed towards the recent decision whereby the Tribunal sent a back an application for a residence for the elderly in the countryside between Gharb and Ta’ Pinu in Gozo, back to the PA to reconsider it following changes to policies and guidelines. despite being repeatedly rejected in the past, as evidence of her claim.
“It is unacceptable that an application is interpreted in a piecemeal manner. The Tribunal justified its decision by only quoting Thematic Objective 2 of SPED, instead of the entire policy,” she said.
To address the serious concerns regarding over-development, particularly in green areas, Portelli called for the introduction of a National Audit of our Built Heritage, which she said would stop speculation and interpretation; and protect the areas which have historic, cultural, and ecological value.
Master plans, she said, should also be placed at the top of the agenda of the country and must also be tackled holistically and take into consideration the country and its future.
“Develop where it is already developed; preserve where needs to be preserved; and improve and rehabilitate the areas that need it,” she explained.
The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal is set to decide on the application on 1 March; which will see the development of retirement home with 100 housing units, restaurant, a chapel, and other amenities.
The proposed facility would have two floors above ground and another two underground. A new road cutting through the valley from San Gwann to Victoria Gardens would also be constructed.
The Planning Authority Board had unanimously rejected the application in May 2016 but the applicant filed an appeal.
The Environment Minister Jose Herrera had previously said that he would recommend that the area of Wied Ghomor, which he had described as a green lung, be protected and listed under public domain; however, this is yet to amount to anything substantial.
Application goes against Local Plan, SPED, and other regulations
Portelli insisted that Wied Ghomor, which she described as a “green lung in the heart of a land of concrete”, was and still is within ODZ, and is one of the only open natural spaces for Swieqi, San Gwann, and nearby localities that remained practically in its natural state.
Quoting MEPA’s Local Plan and policy, Portelli pointed out that “Any development or activity that would jeopardise the protected status or conservation of the valley will not be permitted by MEPA.”
She also stressed that the PA Social Facilities and Community Care Topic Paper stipulates that residential homes must be within or close to village centres, “to ensure full integration of elderly in local communities”; and that policy clearly establishes that exhausted quarries should be restored to their original conditions.
As was highlighted by NGOs during a press conference objecting to the project last Monday, Portelli also noted that the development runs directly contrary to the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED).
Thematic Objective 1, she explained, states that “to manage available potential space and environmental resources.....whilst protecting the environment and limiting land take up within the rural area by (1) guiding the location of the bulk of new jobs and homes within the Urban Area, (4) identifying degrading areas within the Urban Area for integrated regeneration, (7) increasing green open space. Socio-economic development should ensure that Rural Areas are not exploited.”
While Thematic Objective 2, which she said focuses on facilities for the elderly, insists that guiding the location of new social and community facilities within the Urban Area, and where no other feasible alternatives exist allowing consideration within appropriate locations in Rural Areas.