The Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA) considers tomorrow will stay tomorrow, a day that follows today. But proposing projects developing in a specified time frame, we require all the resources to start, plan, execute, monitor, control, and conclude the project successfully.

This is where the GRDA fails miserably to justify its €800,000 yearly allocation from the taxpayer.

Last week, the GRDA applied for a planning permit to build a roof-garden topped commercial centre in Pjazza l-Assedju in Victoria. The project proposed by the GRDA includes a four-level underground car park with approximately 800 spaces, topped by a floor of commercial space and a roof garden. According to the application, the commercial level will house shops, catering establishments, exhibition halls, and educational facilities. According to the Planning Authority (PA) application (PA/06157/24) this development will also house an Enemalta substation.

The underlying question is the actual intention of these development applications. I am mainly referring to the development related to Pjazza l-Assedju. 

The plans submitted by GRDA mark a change in purpose for this square, which as recently as last June was being planned to house a new court building and, like the new proposal, a multistorey car park.

Again, the Gozo Ministry is repeatedly ignoring the ongoing plea for these last seventeen years to find new premises for Gozo's law courts. These courts have poor health and safety standards and maintenance and accessibility issues. This is purely adding insult to injury and dashing any hopes which Avukati Għawdex aspired towards the relocation of the law courts. The current court building cannot accommodate the number of cases instituted in Gozo, making it inaccessible and small. They sometimes took over the room designated for use by lawyers to hold sittings. Gozitan lawyers went on strike in the past because of the conditions of the building where they spend most of their days. Time after time, the Gozo Ministry dampened any hopes Avukati Għawdex had for the relocation of the law courts.

The Court Services Agency (CSA) explored opportunities to set up a new Gozo Court in Victoria to replace the existing building deemed inadequate as a court. In the consultation document, the CSA notes that the existing premises housing the Gozo Law Courts are no longer fit for purpose. This is in part because of recent legislation that requires all public buildings to be accessible to people with limited mobility, including wheelchair user. The existing building is a scheduled site, making it difficult for the CSA to upgrade the premises as necessary. 

Back in 2008, the Gozo Ministry, which handles the Gozo courts, applied with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to build a multi-storey car park and law courts in George Borg Olivier Street, Victoria (Pjazza l-Assedju).

Gozo Ministry amended the plans in 2009, but the application remained pending because the site was in an area that, according to the local plans, needed a development brief.

According to the GRDA, the proposal is in line with the Gozo Regional Development Strategy which includes 'providing further green spaces', 'rethinking mobility', and 'transforming streets towards people centred' by prioritizing the needs and concerns of all individuals' fundamental needs and values.

To promote this development, GRDA issued a direct order worth €7,975 for the rendering and visuals for the Victoria 'Green Park' Project on 24 January 2024.

GRDA has to admit that a project to move the Gozo Courts requires a financial outlay of about €9 million. The Government is not prepared to fork out that amount of investment for Gozo. GRDA can only propose while the Ministry disposes.

According to the GRDA, the "primary aim of the proposed project is to address the lack of parking spaces and open spaces in Victoria."

However, the project has raised concerns among environmentalists and heritage advocates. However, environmentalists and heritage advocates have raised concerns about the project, as it involves clearing and excavating the current tree-lined square, similar to what is happening in the Marsalforn road project. The project involves felling the existing trees to create space for the new parking area and "green space."

So what was the alternative? GRDA clearly stated in the tender document that private entrepreneurs and developers will have to support fully this development. Don't worry about the green space or extra parking; just focus on giving loyal investors a way to make money quickly. Although the bone is massive, there's no sign of meat. Maybe it lies in exploiting the commercial space which the GRDA is proposing in the tender. After all, the GRDA seems to have a brief memory. Government departments such as Planning Authority, Public Registry, Office of the Commissioner, and Arms Ltd, are now in private rented property dispersed around in Victoria. Would it make sense to group and centralise all these departments in the area which GRDA is sugar coating for these earmarked private tenderers?

So now let's consider the last crucial part which GRDA is conveniently sidelining. 

In 2017, then Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana unveiled plans for the new law courts in Gozo. The site earmarked for the project lies at the periphery of Victoria and Xewkija following geological studies. Previous studies had shown that other alternative sites such as Pjazza l-Assedju were too dangerous as the land was too weak for development. 

Minister Caruana stated that the site's final decision will come after a month of public consultation, started in 2017. The approximate cost of the project back then would have been €5.5 million.

Mario Cordina, an architect from the Gozo Ministry, explained that they initially planned the development for a parking area in Victoria's (Pjazza l-Assedju) Triq Gorg Borg Olivier. It was later determined that the ground lacks sufficient strength for a five-storey project. Subsequently, the Ministry started a project to discover an alternative site that would cause the least harm to the environment.

Has GRDA considered the stability of the project, which could pose a threat to the neighbouring buildings of this pjazza? Is there a chance of a massive crater forming in this square that the private developer abandoned because the expenses for reinforcement and restructuring were much higher than expected? If any inconveniences cause damages and loss of turnover to certain outlets, will the GRDA hold accountability? 

It would be wise for the GRDA to reassess its priorities. Everyone knows about the parking problem in Victoria. It's important to remember that all traffic heading towards the northern part of Gozo, like Gharb, Dwejra, and Ta' Pinu, must go through Victoria. Isn't this just another chaotic scenario that demands immediate attention? Fixing this problem would decrease traffic in Victoria, but it requires funding, and the government is reluctant to invest in Gozo.

It is crucial for GRDA to understand the serious consequences of proceeding with this project without conducting proper studies. It might cripple Victoria's thriving commercial sector and disrupt daily operations.