Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri described the PN’s proposal to buy back the land at Ħondoq ir-Rummien as ‘a dangerous concept’.

Ħondoq ir-Rummien remains one of Gozo’s most picturesque bays, with tourists, Maltese and Gozitans alike all flocking to the quiet beauty spot on the outskirts of the village of Qala throughout summer.

The PN has said that a future Nationalist Party government would buy Gozo’s Ħondoq ir-Rummien and turn it into a public park. The land in question has been in the sights of developers to turn it into a marina and luxury village. 

The minister was asked whether the government should make the same pledge for Ħondoq ir-Rummien as the PN had made, to buy back the land. The minister, through his answer, makes it clear that this is not an option the government would entertain. 

"These proposals make me laugh. You need to look at from where this whole story began. Going back to 2006, it was a zone that was practically all in ODZ. With the stroke of a pen, the concept that some form of tourism associated scope would be allowed in this zone was introduced. It was the PN government that had done this."

"Fast forward to when I was the mayor of Qala, as well as beyond that, and we were always clearly against development in this zone. The government rarely pronounces itself against applications being filed by the private sector, but in this case, both the Qala council and the government pronounced themselves against the development. In fact, the application was refused and there is no approved application for development on that site."

"The irony is that, while it was the PN that opened this window for development in this zone, today they are saying that in order for there not to be this development, they would buy the land which they themselves had caused to increase in value. This is unbelievable."

"So, through a change in policy, they increased the value of land by opening it up for this opportunity, then instead of coming out against the development like the Labour Party had done, in order to solve the problem they want to buy the land back, for €17 million."

"Imagine repeating such a precedent. So, the government, wherever it does not want development to take place, would buy the land through the public's funds? It is a dangerous concept, as wherever there is a proposed development by someone in the private sector, in order for it not to take place the government would buy the land. This does not make sense. The permit for this zone was not granted. I understand that an appeal is ongoing but the government was clear that it is against development at the Ħondoq ir-Rummien zone."

This newsroom asked the minister for his opinion about overdevelopment in Gozo and whether the island needs special protection to stop it from becoming a second Malta.

"In terms of development zones, the last changes to zoning were made between 2006 and 2008." What is different now, he said, is that at the time people might have been reluctant to invest in their land, “whereas today, due to the economic growth seen over the past years, there was an increased apatite to invest in property.”

"2006 was 15 years ago and while it was not this government that expanded these zones, we understand that it must be this government to address this concern."

He said that the Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA) is creating a plan for the coming 10 years, where one of the main themes would be the environment and development.

The minister gave his personal opinion about the situation on the island and stressed the need for balance. “Everyone gets annoyed if the building next door or opposite to where they live goes under construction, as long as it is not their own property, and there is this irony. But we, the government, need to take decisions and I believe that there are things we can address.”

“The thing that bothers people the most and negatively affects our streetscapes is when one sees a block of concrete rising up, which is then plastered.”

He said that it would not be correct to reduce the height one can build after people would have invested in plots in an area.

“But I believe that there are things we can do.”

The minister outlined his personal opinions as to how the situation could be tackled. He feels that facades should be designed according to context, and that they should fit in with the surrounding area and have an aesthetically pleasing design, particularly within the UCA. The minister also spoke about the types of materials used. "If we were to issue a policy that prohibits certain types of materials, or encourages certain materials, we might see the change we want." He said, for example, that he has rarely seen anyone complain when the facades are built traditionally using limestone. 

He said that there are zones where the back part of properties would be overlooking ODZ or a cliff. "In such cases, we need to give the same importance to the rear facade as we do the front, as it impacts the visuals from ODZ.”

“When it comes to the material used for apertures, I believe that we should shortlist two or three materials that should be used. If you had to ask me what I believe should be used, I would say that there is nothing nicer than wrought iron and wood. In terms of wrought iron, one can use it for railings and apertures that are really beautiful and traditional, which can be made by our artisans, and wood is a natural material that beautifies the aesthetics of our streetscapes."

He mentioned budgetary measures that "will have a positive effect on Gozo."

The budget measure he referred to states that for properties that have been built for more than 20 years and have been vacant for more than seven years, for properties within the UCA and for new properties built in a style and architecture that is typically and traditionally Maltese, the government will completely remove the capital gains tax and stamp duty on the first €750,000 of the property price.

Camilleri described this incentive as being very important. "You would be shifting the demand from traditional construction to better quality units, obviously as the government is recognising that people would need to spend more money on these properties." 

He mentioned another measure, where people who renovate such properties will be given a grant on the value of the VAT paid up to a maximum of €54,000 for the first €300,000 spent on restoration, also saying that this is an important incentive.

Lastly, he said that Gozitan first-time buyers who purchase such properties in Gozo will receive a €30,000 grant.

He said that through these fiscal incentives "we are trying to shift the demand to certain types of properties and I believe this will have a good effect."