Be the first to comment!Gozitan activist highlights application for home in ODZ area of Nadur
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Gozitan activist Luke Said has highlighted the problems on Gozo of ”growth without planning,” and noted the number of applications now being approved in ODZ areas.
He stressed that ”we are still approving applications to build 100% on ODZ.” Said explained that ”in this latest case we had already fought an earlier application for a massive garage in Nadur, around two-thirds on ODZ. That was changed to fit within the Development Zone and later approved and has now come back with a new application.”
The applicant, Ronnie Camilleri, a cousin of Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, has now put in a new application through his architect Alex Bigeni – PA/05649/26 – ”for a full dwelling, entirely on ODZ, overlooking the beautiful landscape of Ramla,” said Luke Said.
The application reads that it is to construct a residential dwelling and carry out alterations to garage approved in PA/05478/23 on Triq ta’ Hida, Nadur, and to also construct rubble wall.
Representations are open until the 22nd of September on the PA number as highlighted above. At the time of writing there was one representation published online.
Said noted that 15,017 new dwellings have been approved since 2012. In 2011, Gozo had 25,070 dwellings. ”If all these approvals are built, that is a 60% increase in our housing stock.”
Said went on to say that, ”our population, meanwhile, grew by around 33% from 31.4k in 2013 to 41.8k in 2025. So yes, Gozo’s population is growing. Gozo’s economy is growing. But the problem is not growth.”
He argued that ”the problem is growth without planning. We have just spent days suffering through extreme heat and power cuts because our infrastructure has not kept pace.”
Said asked, ”seriously… Do we really have no more space to build within the development zones?”
”15,017 new dwellings approved, and we’re still eating into our countryside. Gozo needs proper infrastructure. Gozo needs proper planning. ODZ means ODZ. Enough is enough, concluded Luke Said.
Photo: Luke Said outside the proposed development site in Nadur holding a sign ” in case you forgot, this is Outside Development Zone.”
