“On Thursday it will be the Mepa Board’s duty to decide on a project that the developer himself opposed. Way back in 1991, Angelo Xuereb told the then Planning Authority that a golf course at Verdala was not possible because most of the land is privately owned, the land is arable and should be conserved and the buildings will spoil the environment,” the Front said in a statement.

The planning directorate has given the project the thumbs down, a report found on Mepa’s website said. The report, published on www.mepa.org.mt, recommends refusal of the project, mainly claiming that the development would be in breach of a number of policies and that the economic benefits do not outweigh the negative environmental effects.

“The proposed development of a golf course conflicts with Structure Plan Policy TOU 12, which identifies potentially suitable locations for golf courses as derelict land or other land requiring major environmental improvements and which stipulates that such developments be located where they can be accommodated without adverse environmental impact or loss of good-quality agricultural land.

“The site of the proposed golf course is located within an area of agricultural value, as well as an area of high landscape value. Furthermore, the site lies on the side of a valley and overlies the upper “perched” aquifer of central Malta. Therefore, the location of the golf course on this site does not comply with the main locational criteria for such development set out in the Structure Plan,” the planning directorate report says.

Commenting on the report, the Front made their final plea against the development, saying that the planning directorate was Mepa’s expert body and calling on the authority to take the Prime Minister’s recommendations to base their decision on expert advice.

“Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has been careful to clarify that it should be the experts that decide which sites are sustainable for the golf course, and the experts have now decided.”

The prime minister had been criticised for stating that he was in favour of the development of two golf courses – one in Malta and the other in Gozo – while being interviewed on a radio show. Lobbyists against the golf course development said that the prime minister’s claims could sway the Mepa board into deciding in favour of the development.

The Front said it welcomes the defence of the principle of sustainable development, adding that it has always maintained that the economic benefits claimed for the project do not compensate for the negative environmental and social impacts.

Regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment that has been presented to the public for consultation, the Front claim that it does not cover the entire development that AX Holdings is proposing and that if the project is given the go-ahead, the Front will protest on the grounds that the public has been misled.