The Qui-si-Sana Project falls within the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (2001) and Mepa’s decision not to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment has not been justified, the Qui-Si-Sana Residents Association said in a statement yesterday.

This has arisen from an investigation carried out by the Mepa Auditor into Mepa’s refusal to supply environmental information on request to Qui-si-Sana residents.

Furthermore, the auditor expresses concern in the way crucial decisions were taken without justification, these being also inadequately recorded.

Malta is a signatory to the Aarhus Convention which has been incorporated into Maltese law since May 2005.

The auditor found it “inconceivable” that senior Mepa officials were ignorant of the fact that the convention had been transposed into Maltese law more than eight months afterwards.

This report reinforces the association’s opinion that the project is being “fast-tracked” by Mepa, with important environmental issues being skirted round, in order to allow commercial development of the Qui-si-Sana garden.

Not only has the Qui-si-Sana Development Brief been imposed on the residents without consultation, but it is now apparent that Mepa has avoided the most basic studies required by law, the association statement said.

There are no studies to show the need for a car park in Qui-si-Sana. The inclusion of over 7,000 square metres of commercial space proves that the car park is purely a commercial venture in disguise.

The Qui-si-Sana Residents’ Committee again calls for the 2002 Brief to be scrapped and a re-think of the whole project, bearing in mind the thousands of new parking spaces that are to be constructed in the Tigne Peninsula in the near future.