Nine NGOs have formally submitted their strong objections to the Planning Authority (PA) against a proposed planning policy that, they argued, ”will spell the end of ODZ protection, threaten hundreds of farmers, and potentially cause great harm to nature.”

The NGOs warned that ”this planning policy document proposes to allow fully fledged, massive commercial facilities in the form of obstacle racecourses in Outside Development Zone (ODZ) areas, on both agricultural and natural land.”

‘The policy seems to assume that simply including the word “temporary” will make their ”impact disappear.” the NGOs said.

However, the NGOs stated that ”these structures will not be temporary at all. Permits will be valid for a full five years and, when considered alongside other planning rules and the systemic lack of enforcement, these facilities may well remain in place forever. Moreover, they will introduce intensive commercial activity into our countryside, in areas that should primarily be reserved for agricultural purposes or nature protection.”

The nine NGOs argued that ”the policy was agreed with developers before being issued for a supposedly public consultation. This is yet another clear case of decisions being made behind the public’s back and in the interests of private parties – a rotten norm in planning, as evidenced by the published chats between developer Yorgen Fenech and corrupt PA boss Johann Buttigieg.”

They went on to say that ”the malicious intent and danger of this policy were clearly illustrated three years ago, at a time when the general public was not even aware that it was being planned. An application for an obstacle racecourse on agricultural land in Ta’ Qali, which directly threatened farmers cultivating the land in question, was recommended for refusal.”

The NGOs pointed out that ”during the public hearing, the developer’s architect, who was connected to the powerful BILOM group, stated that the Government was preparing a policy to allow such structures. The application was subsequently withdrawn, as the policy had not even been issued for consultation, let alone brought into force.”

”It is clear that the Government has, behind everyone’s back, concocted a way with developers to greatly weaken ODZ protection and the safeguarding of nature, as well as increase pressure on farmers by allowing more commercial activities unrelated to agriculture in areas that should be reserved for agricultural purposes,” the NGOs stated.

The NGOs said that the ”strongly condemn these shady manoeuvres, which seek to accommodate specific private interests at the expense of the common good, the survival of Maltese agriculture, and nature’s integrity. Should the Government insist on pushing forward this extremely dangerous policy, the NGOs vow to fight it.”

The NGOs are:

BirdLife Malta

Din l-Art Helwa

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar

Friends of the Earth Malta

Ghawdix

Moviment Graffitti

Nature Trust Malta

Ramblers Association Malta

Wirt Ghawdex.

File photo: Gozo News/Alain Salvary

Permalink: ”End of ODZ if planning policy concocted with developers is approved” – NGOs