The government has been almost “all talk” and no action when it comes to the environment being a priority, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar coordinator Astrid Vella told The Malta Independent on Sunday, adding that right now, “quality of life” is just a buzzword for government politicians.
During an interview with this newsroom, she criticized a particular planning policy as being damaging to urban environments. Vella said that the government is "trying to consolidate the provisions of Annex 2 of Design Guidance DC 15, by which, through a very devious and underhanded move, the government allowed higher buildings in Malta's towns and villages".
She said that in areas where the 2006 Local Plans allowed three floors, “all of a sudden five floors were allowed as a result of this policy, with the consequence of more density, more urban traffic and pollution, less light and air”.
“How can the government have any credibility on its environmental credentials or on championing people’s quality of life when it has inflicted this on residents? Two years ago, FAA came out insisting on the need to raise the quality of life in Malta, which would be based on carrying capacity studies. Former Minister Aaron Farrugia was against undertaking carrying capacity studies, to see what each area can support, for the obvious reason that they would reflect very badly, to the point of hampering, developers’ ambitions in these areas."
While she is happy to note that the concept of quality of life is taking root, saying that they are all for quality of life while all the studies, such as the Global Emotions report, show that almost two-thirds (63%) of the Maltese reported feelings of worry, while more than half (55%) reported feeling stressed".
Project Green cannot be seen in isolation
Asked whether Project Green is doing enough, she acknowledged its work, saying that "it is doing a lot, and we have to consider that it is a fledgling authority that has taken on many projects at the same time. We have to give them a chance".
However, “more than seeing Project Green in isolation, we need to see the government's whole performance. Project Green on its own will not solve the problem of lack of greenery in Malta, when on the other hand the Minister for the Planning Authority launches a road widening project from Victoria to Marsalforn which will destroy hundreds of bushes and trees, including around 130 highly protected trees growing there”.
"So, Project Green goes through so much expense using public funds to create pocket gardens where there are none, while the Planning Minister goes out of his way to widen a road unnecessarily, as residents said that there are never any traffic jams there, except for the bottle-neck in Marsalforn which will not be solved. There is no possible benefit other than the pocket of the contractor who was awarded the tender before the permit was granted."
She mentioned another case, this time in Ta' Xbiex, where Transport Malta planned to build offices, a shop and a restaurant on the children’s playground at the Gzira Gardens. FAA managed to block that, she said, but now the project has shifted to the Ta' Xbiex waterfront promenade. “This is still very bad, and FAA is appealing this permit, but if it’s confirmed, the project will block the view of Valletta’s bastions, creating a precedent for other marina operators to demand their own offices right there on the waterfront, violating the UNESCO World Heritage Site Buffer Zone for Valletta, as the whole of Marsamxett forms this buffer zone.”
“We are still clamouring for the Views and Vistas Analysis on which the buffer zone is based, to be made available to the public. The authorities held a public consultation on the management plan for Valletta and its buffer zone without allowing the public to access the study on which this was based. So how can there be true and genuine consultation if you are not shown the Buffer Zone parameters on which it is based, which could be totally flawed parameters. Why is the government fighting its publication if these parameters are correct?"
Public spaces
Another point mentioned during the interview was the placing of tables and chairs in public spaces. The movement against the excessive placement of outdoor seating in public areas is growing, she said.
"It is important to acknowledge the success of this movement. This is an issue that, until nine months ago, was nowhere on the public agenda, less so on the government's. People complained, but complaints were scattered. Now it’s been catapulted to the forefront by the Residenti Beltin and the Sliema Residents Association, and now it’s caught on like wildfire, spreading to several local grassroots associations of residents coming together, not only in individual towns, but as a wider national movement."
She said that Prime Minister Robert Abela mentioned the issue of tables and chairs specifically in his post-election speech, that it is an issue that has to be tackled. "The Planning Ombudsman also recently stated that the Planning Authority has to take tangible action to ensure that regulations and permits are respected."
Speaking in the wider context of citizens’ associations, she said that this cannot be underestimated. "It takes NGO activities to the grassroots and is a force to be reckoned with, because these groups have suddenly found such energy and determination to put citizens first, that is going to be a determining factor in public governance in the decades to come, as citizens have finally found their voice.”
Told that the other side of the argument is that locals and tourists alike enjoy eating outside during the summer months, she was asked what kind of balance needs to be found. "First of all, balance has become a very dangerous word," she said, adding that it is a word that has been "hijacked by politicians".
"Balance is a relative word, are we balancing the commercial interests that have ridden roughshod over residents and the rest of the population for the last 15 years? Or are we talking about real balance? We saw balance in the week leading up to Easter in Valletta, when plenty of tables and chairs were set out in the squares, without choking residential streets."
"This is the pattern one can see in Italy for instance. If one goes to tourist resorts, one sees plenty of tables and chairs in squares, but if they are placed in a street, they are usually limited to one row of tables by the restaurant wall. They are not allowed to spread across the street, hindering traffic, whether vehicular or pedestrian. They are kept in check. What a difference to the situation that we have around St George's square in Victoria, Gozo, where the tables and chairs were spread all over the square, including blocking the two narrow access roads, to the point where residents trying to get to the square from those narrow roads had to detour into the Church’s side doors and come out of the main door. It's atrocious,” she said, highlighting the struggle for even ambulances to get to patients in need in Victoria and Valletta. “While we welcome the action taken to impose some legality and give Pjazza San Ġorġ back to the people, we ask why no action has been taken against abuse in Malta in spite of a year of reports and protests? Could the Minister who is based in Victoria have influenced the decision in favour of residents?"
Asked whether NGOs will take more action should the government not act on the situation, Vella said that "we will definitely take more action. This will be a combination, as it has been, of activism aligned with legal action, taking matters to Court if necessary".
She added that she also wants to see more action regarding preventing green areas in localities from being taken over by tables and chairs. "I was happy to see that a pocket garden in Lija only has narrow concrete passages and no stands or kiosks, but we need more of such gardens, and we need to know where the political parties stand on the issue of Manoel Island. We are very much in favour of having local parks, but the fact remains that they are local pocket gardens. We need something that would equate to a Central Park, a green oasis of heritage and exercise in the heart of the most congested area in Malta, that’s what Manoel Island could be. Covid showed us just how important green areas are for both physical and mental health. Do the people need more blocks of super-expensive luxury apartments or do the Maltese need a heritage nature park within walking distance of the biggest conglomeration of residences in Malta?" She said that psychiatrists have reported that people’s mental health wellbeing is being impacted by congestion and overdevelopment.
The second part of the interview will be carried tomorrow