Wied Garnaw is one of the last remaining green areas in the highly industrialised south of Malta. It is a green lung for the populations of Santa Lucija, Gudja, Tarxien, Luqa and Ghaxaq and lies outside development boundaries.

The depot site has been under a Mepa enforcement notice (ECF 1362/00) since December 2000. In June 2002 Mepa referred the case for direct action, meaning that it would restore the site itself at the developer’s expense. However, this did not happen even when the developer began using the site illegally as a skip depot.

In the last few days, the developer appears to have stopped operating from the site and has removed most of the skips, trucks and other equipment. However, the most important step – that of restoring the site to its natural state and bringing back the soil – still remains to be taken.

The Save Wied Garnaw Action Group, a non-political group dedicated to preserving Wied Garnaw as open countryside, points out that the case has been dragging on for well over three years and it welcomes Mepa’s commitment to finally take direct action against this illegal development. Mepa has not specified when it intends to act, but the group says it hopes that it will be soon, certainly during April.

Wied Garnaw is also threatened by other illegal developments and there are at least 17 enforcement notices outstanding in the valley. The Action Group believes there is a need for more effective action to curb illegal development and protect Malta’s remaining countryside, and it calls upon the authorities to take this in hand as a matter of national urgency.

The Save Wied Garnaw Action Group believes that many Mepa employees are dedicated people who take their work seriously, and it calls upon the government to ensure that these officials have the resources and support they need to function more effectively.

In the meantime, the developer’s application for a permit to build a waste sorting facility on the site remains under consideration, when it should be rejected outright since Wied Garnaw is outside development boundaries.

The Save Wied Garnaw Action Group is collecting signatures for a petition calling upon Mepa to reject this application and ensure that the valley remains an agricultural area. Anybody wishing to sign this petition or join the Action Group is welcome to contact the group on email: [email protected]