Call for sponsors and donations
After the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s Planning Revisions Tribunal rejected an appeal against a development project in Wied il-Għasel, Mosta’s green core, Ħarsien Patrimonju Mosti (ĦPM) will be taking the matter to the courts as a last resort, and is calling for sponsors and donations.
The local group, together with Nature Trust (Malta), Alternattiva Demokratika and other organisations, has been struggling to save the unique Mosta valley for the last three years, saying it is the last remaining example of a town having a preserved green core, complete with several iconic features of Maltese countryside and its rural qualities.
Recently, the Mosta-based group even presented a petition signed by more than 24,000 people to President George Abela, as well as to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat.
The petition – which called for the revocation of a permit for the construction of a block of apartments in part of the Mosta valley and for the full restoration and protection of the site and the features that make it unique – was tabled in parliament on 4 June by the Opposition’s main spokesman for the environment, sustainable development and climate change, Leo Brincat.
The development is taking place in the green heart of the valley, which is listed as a nature reserve in the World Database on Protected Areas, managed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as well as by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is classified as a Category III – Natural Monument: a protected area managed mainly for the conservation of specific natural features.
ĦPM has referred to local policies and plans such as one in particular that states: “No new physical development will normally be allowed on the sides of valleys and especially on valley watercourses except for constructions aimed at preventing soil erosion and the conservation and management of water resources”.
The local organisation and Nature Trust were official objectors to the planning application, which was originally refused. A development permit was granted in March 2009 after the Development Control Commission reconsidered the application.
It was then that Nature Trust filed an appeal, particularly due to the ecological sensitivity of the valley, and a decision is finally expected to be taken next month, more than three years later.
ĦPM said in a statement on Friday: “Following considerable deliberation as required by an in-depth evaluation of the appeal report, we have resolved to go on with the last step, this being the law courts. We shall be submitting our second appeal next Monday.”
The group said the three-year campaign (which also involved legal fees) has cost thousands of euros. It has had to shelve all its educational and cultural projects, since all the available funds had to be committed to the crucial Wied il-Għasel struggle.
“It is only through the extreme sacrifice of our members, and our own voluntary work, that we have come this far. The problem is that ĦPM has bled dry, and there is no way we can submit the appeal unless we manage to put together €900, and an additional €300 to cover legal costs and related expenses.”
Anyone who would like to contribute to this cause is requested to send a cheque by post to: The Secretary, Ħarsien Patrimonju Mosti, Floor 2, Aquarius Building, 16 Triq il-Wied, Mosta.
All donations will be recorded and acknowledged (by email whenever possible, to reduce postage costs).