Labour MP Charles Buhagiar yesterday stated in Parliament that his request to include a pocket of land as part of the new development zones was not a conflict of interest even though his architectural firm had submitted the land in question.

Mr Buhagiar was speaking during yesterday’s session of Parliament’s Development Planning Committee.

He asked the committee to include Mater Dei hospital in the proposed Msida development zone.

The area in question is directly outside the proposed development zone and also includes a strip of land between the University of Malta and the Mater Dei Hospital.

Investment Minister Austin Gatt asked if Mr Buhagiar was the architect of the owners of the strip of land between the hospital and university.

Mr Buhagiar admitted he was but stated he was interested in including the hospital in the new boundaries and not the strip of land.

Dr Gatt asked Mr Buhagiar why this fact was not declared openly without him being asked to do so.

Mr Buhagiar pointed out that he did not see any reason why he should have stated this fact since he was not referring to the privately owned land, but to the hospital.

Dr Gatt also queried if the development proposed by Mr Buhagiar was not of advantage to his clients and if there was a conflict of interest.

Mr Buhagiar stated that there was no advantage to be gained by including the land and there was no conflict of interest because he was referring specifically to Mater Dei Hospital.

Environment and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said he saw no reason to include a state institute in a development zone. He also added that if the government wanted to extend the hospital there was no need to include it in the development zone.

Labour MP Roderick Galdes queried why the University of Malta was included in the development zone if it was a state institution.

Mr Pullicino pointed out that the university was included in the original development zones of 1989 and he saw no reason to remove it.

Mr Galdes queried why SmartCity at Ricasoli was included in the Kalkara development zone if it is a state institution.

Mr Pullicino replied that SmartCity is not only a state institution but includes offices and a residential area and is therefore included in the government development.

He added that the strip of land in question between the university and the Mater Dei Hospital was not included for private development because it is a buffer zone if either the hospital or university needs to expand.

Mr Buhagiar queried why a strip of land between Safi and Zebbiegh was being included in the development zones when one of the set criteria of the new development zones was not to link two villages.

Mr Pullicino explained that the link between the two villages already exists and that the so-called strategic gap does not exist anyway.

“The government had no obligation to create a set of criteria for the new development zones but it went a step further and did,” said Mr Pullicino. “In this case, the government is justified in overruling the set criteria because the link between the two villages already exists.”

Mr Buhagiar said that the bridge between the two villages should not be widened and should be left as is.

However, Mr Pullicino explained that the link will create new road infrastructures diverting traffic into the outer parts of Safi.