Xghajra Mayor Anthony Valvo is going to wait for the conclusion and clarification of an Environment Authority Report regarding potential land reclamation sites, before taking any action.
Recent news reports have said that leaks about the report show that Xghajra would be the area selected for a land reclamation project. The announcement sparked concern from Xghajra residents.
The idea of using the waste generated from major projects, including the eventual digging of the Gozo tunnel, for land reclamation has been controversial to say the least.
It was recently reported in sections of the press that Xghajra was the main area being eyed for such a potential project. Reports read that the Environment and Resources Authority is conducting a site selection exercise on the matter, which it says is solely from an environmental perspective. The ERA told MaltaToday that mentioning individual sites is premature.
Xghajra Mayor Anthony Valvo wrote on Facebook on 14 January that he, as well as some other local councillors from the locality, met with the ERA. He said that the council was against land reclamation and that the ERA assured them that what occurred was a study on the East side of Malta, from Gozo to Zonqor Point. He was told that this in no way means that Xghajra was selected and that it hadn’t even yet been sent to Cabinet. The mayor said they would keep in direct contact on this case.
The Malta Independent contacted the Mayor yesterday, to see if there were any developments. The above study is as far as they reached at the moment, the Mayor said.
He said that he has spoken to the adjoining councils, and said that if there is a need to form a united front they will. “But at this stage it is too early, as the report is not yet out. We don’t even know exactly what is going on.”
He said that if the report comes out and singles out Xghajra, he would set up meetings with MPs from both sides of the house elected in his district, and said that the Prime Minister is one of them.
“We are looking out for the residents of the locality.”
He said that he is waiting for this report to clarify what is going on before discussing the details and any other action.
“Either we wait for clarity, or we risk shooting ourselves in the foot,” the Mayor said, while stressing the need to wait for its conclusion and the details which emerge from it before taking any decisions on the next steps.
Asked if there would be any way he would accept land reclamation in Xghajra, he said that the council unanimously voted that they would not was any land reclamation. “The few people who live here live a peaceful life. We don’t want to be disturbed.”