A protest against limitless development took place this evening in Sliema, organised by the University of Malta student council KSU and KPS.
This protest comes against the backdrop of two high-rise towers approved by the Planning Authority (PA) board in a marathon session. The first, four towers in Mriehel was approved by 11 votes in favour and two against. The second project, which was met with far greater controversy, is the Sliema Townsquare 38-storey tower which was approved by seven votes in favour and six against. Environmental and Resources Authority Chairman Victos Axiaq was not present due to health reasons, sparking calls for the ERA to appeal the decision.
In comments with this newsroom, KSU Social Policy Coordinator Ettiene Buttigieg said:
“As a student body we felt the need to make our voice heard. After all, the same way that Malta was passed on to our generation is it is our vision and our desire to give Malta to the generation after us - hopefully in a better state than it is now.
“We feel that this isn’t happening at the moment and that is why we discussed and shared opinions which led to a report we penned called: Limitless development – Shifting the roadmap. This is exactly what we want to do. We feel that in terms of development Malta is not moving in the right direction so we believe there is a need for that shift.
“We are not saying no to development, but we believe in sustainable development.”
Roughly 50 youngsters and university students were present for the demonstration, with environmental activist Claire Bonello, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar founder Astrid Vella and co-founder of the newly formed Democratic Party Marlene Farrugia in attendance.
His colleague who also addressed the demonstration, KPS Commissioner Alexander Hili spoke of the more technical details outlined in the report. He stressed the need for a holistic approach and the formulation of a national master plan for development, where projects are reviewed in conjunction with each other, rather than being approved one at a time.
He spoke of the need for environmental and cultural responsibility to be shouldered, and then said that problems of traffic and drainage must first be solved before adding pressure. He called for the introduction of an urban drainage system and the use of sustainable energy.
In comments with this newsroom, Dr Farrugia said that a protest organised by today’s youth gives her hope, because it is a sign that they are not only looking at their present circumstance, but are thinking of future generations.
She spoke of the need for a national master plan so that future projects down the line will be thought of for now. Giving examples, she said if Malta ever had to build an underground system, some form of logistical plan of how this could take place must take effect from now.
Dr Farrugia said that in view of the government’s lack of an electoral mandate to green light high rise development, and the lack of necessary input from technocrats and experts – a referendum should be taking place.