The Tigné and Qui-si-sana Residents’ Association view the decision by the European Commission to fast-track procedures against the Maltese government over the Fort Cambridge affair as an indication of the gravity of the breach of EU law, an association statement said yesterday.

The requirement for an Environment Impact Assessment was waived in spite of the fact that the Tigné peninsula is already under massive development. The project would adversely affect traffic, light, air quality and noise levels in the over-congested Tigné peninsula as well as have a substantial impact on the skyline, the association added.

The social effect of the addition of several thousand dwelling units and the associated commercial aspect into an already-overpopulated area must also be considered. In the association’s opinion, the developer’s Project Description Statement and the Traffic Impact Statement were both grossly inadequate. In view of the massive overdevelopment of the Tigné peninsula, the association believes that rather than an Environmental Impact Assessment on individual projects, an independent Strategic Environmental Assessment is undertaken to take into account existing and planned developments.

Furthermore the whole application has to be examined within the context of the European Union rules applicable to sustainable development.