The fight against interests which seek profit at the expense of the quality of people's lives will now move to Zebbug, AD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said today.

"Residents in Ħaż- Zebbug are faced with an application for a development with a total of 14 floors , 11 of them above street level. This fight is everybody's". Cacopardo was addressing a press conference in Zebbug.

The development application referred to is on the site of the Toyota showroom in Triq l-iMdina, Zebbug. "The applicants seek permission to build a tower of eleven storeys above the ground, one of which being a receded floor, plus three additional floors of underground parking. This land is approximately 11,000 square meters in area."

AD has already been in contact with several residents, who are rightly worried, "because this tower has no place in Zebbug and will have a considerable impact on the neighbourhood and its residents."

Nowhere in the policies of the Planning Authority is there indicated that it should approve buildings of this kind in Zebbug. This development is considered a medium-height building and the planning policies reserve these to specific locations. It should be noted that planning policies are often written in ambiguous language that often leave elbow room for interpretations which favour the powerful and monied interests. The excuses used are usually regeneration or creation of jobs."

"The proposed development will include a supermarket, shops, offices and facilities offering services in health, including a gym along with a car park for 908 cars. The impacts on people are many. The most obvious one is that it will impact the skyline. It will also generate more traffic in an area which cannot take more and more cars, congestion and traffic. It will generate shadows on the neighbouring properties. Some residents can just throw away their photovoltaic panels or solar water heaters."

"Powerful interests have turned their sight on Zebbug. Residents need our help and support in the ongoing fight against uncontrolled development and so called 'business friendly' policies which have no respect for anyone but seek to bend over backwards to make sure that profits come before people" concluded Carmel Cacopardo.