We the undersigned can no longer watch silently as short-sighted decisions and greed continue to undermine all that makes Malta special.
The health and quality of life of the residents of Malta have deteriorated over different governments as rampant construction has ruined our towns and villages while damaging policies have continued unabated to pave the way for more building in our threatened countryside, impacting agriculture and biodiversity.
Our islands are paralysed by ever-increasing traffic which is costing the nation €274 million a year* in terms of lost productivity and ill health due to toxic emissions - contributing to lung conditions, heart problems, cancer and strokes - as well as taking us ever further from our 2020 climate change targets.
In allowing the destruction of our heritage buildings and landscapes, we are losing our beauty, our quality of life and social fabric. When we destroy that which makes us what we are, which distinguishes us from others, we lose our national identity and damage the unique product that our tourism sector - the pillar of our economy - depends on.
The continued lack of commitment to enforce laws has filled our towns, countryside and beaches with abusive buildings, air and noise pollution, and has now resulted in the widespread pollution of our sea, once again affecting tourism, human health and depleting marine ecosystems.
In many towns nothing is being done to improve the lives of residents adversely impacted by industrial development and to provide them with green open spaces which are vital for their physical, mental and social well-being.
The recent permits approved to build high-rise towers will accelerate the degradation of our communities, as we further intensify urban densities in congested centres where our transport and infrastructure is already not coping with the present situation, let alone with the addition of massive speculative projects. These immediate changes to our urban landscape are being pushed through without the essential studied and holistic vision that provides comprehensive planning solutions taking into account the developments' cumulative social impact and the limitations of our island.
With over 41,000 completely vacant dwellings**, Malta needs to curb over-development through the imaginative and innovative transfer of construction activity to restoration work and to cease once and for all the demolition of heritage buildings.
We call for policies that give importance to urban carrying capacity rather than construction capacity which results in immediate financial gain for the few, at the expense of the many.
We call for environmental and social justice.
We are duty bound to do so for the generations to come.
*Refer to page 59 of The External Costs of Passenger and Commercial Vehicle use in Malta : https://ec.europa.eu/malta/sites/malta/files/docs/body/study_on_traffic_online.pdf
**Refer to pg xxxiv/34 of the NSO Census Final Report at: https://nso.gov.mt/en/publicatons/Publications_by_Unit/Documents/01_Methodology_and_Research/Census2011_FinalReport.pdf
The signatories include:
Prof Kevin Aquilina
Prof Richard England
Dr Maria Attard
Dr Paul Pace
Michael Zammit Cutajar
Prof Alan Deidun
Prof Edward Mallia
Dr Colette Sciberras
Alfred E. Baldacchino
Anna Spiteri
Ing Marco Cremona
Brian Restall
Perit Carmel Cacopardo
Prof Conrad Thake
Prof Richard Ingersoll
Perit Claude Busuttil
Prof JoAnn Cassar
Prof Louis F Cassar
Prof Carmel Pule
Dr Ing John C Betts
Dr Elisabeth Conrad
Prof Mario Buhagiar
Dr Karsten Xuereb
Prof Anthony Bonanno
Dr Ruben Grima
Prof Henry Frendo
Prof Anthony Frendo
Prof Roger Vella Bonavita
Prof Peter Mayo
Prof John Gruzelier
Prof Mark Anthony Sammut
Dr Vicki Ann Cremona
Prof Arnold Cassola
Dr Michael Briguglio
Dr Paul Xuereb
Dr Lillian Sciberras
Maria Grech Ganado
Dr Immanuel Mifsud
Dr Adrian Grima
Dr Marco Galea
John Schranz
Trevor Zahra
Charles Xuereb
Dr Alex Vella Gregory
Prof Albert Cilia Vincenti
Prof John Rizzo Naudi
Mr Alex Manche
Dr George Zammit Maempel
Dr Salvina Zrinzo
Dr Mario Tabone Vassallo MD
Dr Alexandra Betts
Prof John Besford
Sir Martin Laing
Lady Stephanie Laing
Paul Cardona
Astrid Vella
Helen Caruana Galizia
AnneMarie Kissaun
Maura Marlow
Perit Jorg Sicot
Dr Claire Bonello
Godfrey Mangion
Robert L. Fenech
Dr John Paul Cauchi
Perit Tara Cassar
Dr Jelena Agranovski
Sean Sciberras
Alex Vella
Lino Bugeja
Ingram Bondin
Martin Galea de Giovanni
Martin Scicluna
Dr George Debono
Joseph V. Tabone
Patrick Tabone
Dr John Vassallo
Simone Mizzi
Maria Grazia Cassar
Philip Mercieca
Ann Gingell Littlejohn
Dr Philip Manduca
Arnold Sciberras
Jeffrey Sciberras
John Fenech
Dr Simon Camilleri,
Pierre Fava
Adrian Gatt
Charles Mercieca
Helga Ellul
Godfrey Leone Ganado
Lillian Miceli-Farrugia
Sonja Sinclair Stevenson Lindblad
Dr Marthese Portelli
David Casa
Dr Marlene Farrugia
Salvu Mallia
Dr Karol Aquilina
Noel Muscat
Dr Albert Buttigieg
Prof Lino Briguglio
Tonio Mallia
Debbie Caruana Dingli
Daniel Cilia
Steve Bonello
Dominic Cutajar
Fr Jimmy Bartolo SJ
Fr Edgar Busuttil SJ
Fr Robert Soler SJ
Fr David Cefai SJ
Fr Paul Zammit SJ
Fr Raymond Pace SJ
Br Salvu Mifsud
ETC Calascione
Dr Christine Bellizzi
Dr Adrian Borg Cardona
Perit Anton Valentino
Cecilia Xuereb
Sonja Besford
Dr Lorna Mifsud Cachia
Marc Storace
Marie Benoit
Gillian Bartolo
Stephen J Avalyan Newton
Rio Sammut