Gozo has gone from "one extreme to another": from seeing a lack of investment a few years ago, to being overtaken by overdevelopment in the present day, Munxar Mayor Damien Spiteri has said.

Spiteri was speaking during an interview with The Malta Independent, which mainly focused on the situation in Xlendi - an area which falls under the Munxar local council's remit.

What was once considered a fishing village, Xlendi has now become commercialised. What were once boathouses have now been turned into commercial establishments, while the coastline has become more synonymous with apartment blocks rather than traditional Gozitan buildings.

Spiteri said that locals are expressing their frustration over a situation wherein they do not feel comfortable living in some parts of Xlendi anymore. He said that it affects him personally every time people who invested in property in Xlendi tell him that they are thinking twice before heading to Xlendi for the summer.

"Of course, I do not like how certain developments were given the green light  as they create a major contrast with the characteristics of Xlendi," he said.

The Munxar mayor said that, going back a few years, the island's economy was weaker, wherein Gozo was described as being like a crib within itself. Today, the economy is on the other end of the scale, he said, to the point that there is now severe economic "overheating," which is leading to increased development.

"Obviously nobody likes overdevelopment, both because of the inconvenience it can cause through short-term noise coming from construction machinery, as well as due to the long-term consequences, where people are getting frustrated with the height of the buildings rising next to them."

Spiteri believes that more attention needs to be paid to the construction and development policies being drafted by policy makers. He said that there should be more consultation with the public. Although he is very grateful for the many NGO's and people who are speaking out against overdevelopment, Spiteri feels that it is not enough.

"Unfortunately Xlendi was designated as a tourist village which meant that several areas were destined for a large number of high rise apartment blocks; a locality where hotels and various commercial establishments have been given the go-ahead," the mayor said.

He added that there should be a focus on tweaking existing policies, and that this focus should be given to policies regarding the aesthetics of buildings.

He cited Valletta as an example, stating that not many people criticise tall buildings in the capital city, as each one matches their neighbour while retaining traditional Maltese features such as the synonymous wooden balconies. Xlendi needs to take the same route, he said.

While stressing the need to find balance and for Xlendi not to be overdeveloped, he said that drastic decisions, such as a moratorium on development, cannot be taken without holding public discussions first.

"Just as it has been difficult to go from one extreme to another, where a few years ago there was a lack of investment in Gozo, we have now gone to another extreme where we are saying that there is overdevelopment. Therefore, we cannot have a policy that would outright kill investment," he said.

Spiteri stressed the point that each and every development must be sustainable. Each and every development has to be considered within the context of its streetscape, he said.

Unfortunately unsustainable development results in losing the locality's streetscapes once and will then in turn create a precedent for similar development to follow suit in other streets, Spiteri continued.

Thus, authorities must recognise the responsibility they have in taking decisions which will affect people's lives, he added.

In October 2020, during a meeting of the Gozo Regional Council, Gozitan mayors complained about the way development and planning was being managed in Gozo.  As a result of this collective frustration, there were several proposals made regarding this issue.

Last August, The President of the Gozo Regional Council Samuel Azzopardi urged the Planning Authority to move faster on implementing the council's proposals to protect the island from excessive development.

Since then, however, no major changes have been made to planning policies in Gozo.  Indeed, several large planning applications in localities such as Sannat, Qala, and Nadur continue to dominate the headlines, even in recent weeks.

Current problems in Xlendi

During the interview, Spiteri also elaborated on some of the other issues facing Xlendi and the people who call the hamlet home.

One of the factors which attracts certain people to Xlendi, he explained, is the affordable rent, with many foreign workers choosing to live there for this reason.

The demographic is further made up of foreigners who elect to invest in a property in Xlendi for their retirement, locals who reside there all year-round, and others who seek property as a rental investment.

One of the biggest issues, Spiteri explains, is the lack of security in Xlendi. As an examples, he mentioned isolated cases of people causing damage to parked cars and also the occasional fight breaking out.

Xlendi has lately been assigned a community police officer, where after hearing concerns raised by the local council, police presence was increased particularly during the summer months.

Mentioning other problems, Spiteri said that during the summer months Xlendi faces a number of challenges to cope with the number of day travellers. Thus, a huge investment to the public infrastructure is needed.

Another issue, he said, is the increasing number of people residing in flats not having a place to put their waste. In addition, he said, some residents are not sticking with the garbage schedule which makes the waste situation even more difficult to handle.

The mayor also highlighted the lack of public open spaces in Xlendi and the need to pedestrianise areas within the urban zones of the locality.

The Munxar mayor also explained how there must also be stricter policies on encroachment areas in order to ensure that the general public enjoy public areas within the locality.