The matter of construction and development spreads far and wide when it comes to Gozo. A significant number of construction projects of some scale in a number of localities such as Marsalforn, Xlendi, Nadur, Qala and others have cropped up, leading to concerns that Gozo is on track to become as similarly overbuilt as Malta.

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri agreed in an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday that these concerns are valid. He believes that what bothers people most – and he expressed that he agrees with their annoyance – is “how we are building.”

“With the right decisions – and I want to be clear: we do not want to shock the system and take us back prior to 2013 – and with the right consultations, I think that in the future, as these changes will not happen overnight, we will see new developments which are just and respect their surroundings, be those surrounding the ODZ behind them, the houses next to them or the streetscape,” Camilleri explains.

An example of this, he explained, could be that new buildings must use limestone rather than concrete bricks for their facades in order to improve the aesthetics of new developments.

The Minister’s views are interesting and no doubt seek to strike a balance between curbing what has frequently been described as the rampant development which is overtaking Gozo and not snuffing the market out completely.

His assessment that what frustrates people more than anything else is how buildings are being built is not too wide of the mark: after all the images we see shared to social media show grey, pigeon hole apartments sticking out like a sore thumb when compared to their surroundings.

That at least facades should use limestone would be a most welcome start that would no doubt put paid to the severe shortage of aesthetic quality that we see on new buildings, particularly those which appear to take the book title ’50 Shades of Grey’ far too literally when it comes to choosing their colour schemes.

However more is needed in order to strike the necessary balance and, while the Minister said that he believes that creating new limitations on property heights is a bit too far to go, Camilleri’s comments as to what he feels a building should do contain interesting implications.

Particular reference in this regard can be made to how new developments should respect their surroundings – be those any ODZ land it is abutting onto, the houses directly next to them, or the streetscape as a whole.

This implies that the changes which do come about will be ones which have significant impact on the scale of developments which we are seeing in Gozo, in order for Gozo’s unique characteristics – exhibited in part by, for instance, its streetscape – to be respected.

These types of changes are ones to look forward to, although it remains to be seen exactly what form they will take and – more importantly – how they will be enforced.