When one travels through Malta’s more congested towns and cities one is often met with the site of dust from construction sites, towering cranes, partly built buildings and large holes where excavation has taken place.
During the best of times some people called it progress. Such sites became the norm, almost accepted. Yet now more and more people are questioning this situation.
The government has been accused of basing the expansion of the economy on increasing the population. But now more than ever people are beginning to question whether Malta will end up with more empty buildings than ever before?
The virus has resulted in a number of measures – which most definitely needed to be taken and the health authorities were right in doing so – which have restricted large sectors of the Maltese economy in terms of their operations.
As an example, hotels have no guests, there are no flights coming to Malta, many businesses have stopped operating. The Maltese hope that, after the virus passes, things will go back to normal, but there is no such guarantee.
Where before people might have ignored construction, being stuck inside ones own home at all times of day would amplify the stress caused by construction noise for said people.
Many, to ease this tension, have now taken to travelling to the countryside on weekends in order to relieve this stress, to enjoy the outdoors while also observing social distancing guidelines, and not meeting in groups of more than three.
But what have we realised through all this… how very few limited options people have in terms of countryside locations.
Wherever one goes, one will see many families out and about on a walk sticking together, keeping distance from others sure, but still many groups. Thus the sense of solitude one might seek in the countryside isn’t there. This is because over the years, Malta’s countryside has shrunk, as application after application gets approved by the Planning Authority, not just in towns, cities and villages. The options are limited.
People are beginning to better understand the importance of the environment, better understand nature’s beauty. This could bring with it a change in priorities for many people.
As more and more people are stuck inside their homes, looking out their window to building after building, the more they will begin to appreciate the site of trees, or worry about the lack of them. Wouldn’t it be better to look out at roads lined with trees rather than desert-like pavements? The government has taken the first steps towards urban greening… but is very far away from where the country should be. We will only reach the goal of having greener urban areas if the government changes its policy from one that allows a hotchpotch of construction where developers reign supreme.
More stringent planning regulations should be established to protect the green areas we have, and a stricter policy of creating green areas in built areas must be undertaken by the government. Here we are not speaking just about trees lining roads, but parks within towns and cities. Too long has Malta been a concrete jungle.
The construction industry has had too much leeway, and too much has been allowed to happen to the detriment of neighbours as construction ensued including noise out of construction hours, lack of observance to regulations, health and safety issues, the list is endless.
In addition, local councils should be given a greater say in Planning Applications, and the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage and the ERA’s recommendations should be given far greater weight. The authorities charged with enforcing irregularities on building sites and as well as enforcement against illegal construction should be amped up.