The Planning Authority is to decide today the application to widen the road from Victoria, Gozo, to Marsalforn, which Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar has described as “yet another unjustified destruction of agricultural land in order to make space for more cars, in a stretch that is rarely ever congested.”

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar in a statement, said that it maintains that yet again, “Malta’s planning process has been subverted by lack of good governance.”

FAA stated that, “in spite of the fact that this project will wipe out 10,693sq m of agricultural land, destroy 300 trees and shrubs, of which 44 are protected species, impact a waterway and cultural landscape, the government-controlled Environment Resource Authority (ERA) has concluded that this project does not require an EIA.”

“ERA’s screening and analysis on the application has still not been made available to the public, yet another case of flouting EU legislation on public access to environmental information,” said FAA.

FAA went on to say that, “this tallies with Infrastructure Malta’s long track record of ignoring EU and Maltese directives on informing the public of environmental projects, and repeatedly failing to carry out public consultation on major projects.”

FAA stressed that, “increasingly, EIAs are either being waived or carried out in such a way that they do not represent the true situation, in order to ensure that the project is approved.”

“Environment Impact Assessments are key planning tools in order to ensure that projects achieve the best possible environmental outcome, and are obligatory for major projects.” FAA, added that has therefore brought this situation to the attention of the EU Directorate-General for Environment.

FAA has also highlighted the fact that “EU funding is being used to violate EU values, through the destruction of trees and agricultural land, increasing the use of private vehicles instead of strengthening public transport, and thus increasing air pollution and Climate Change.”

Marsalforn Valley is Gozo’s largest valley system, sustained by a unique network of centuries-old dykes that prevent rainwater from running off into the sea, instead feeding it into the aquifer sustaining crops grown there.

FAA argued that, “the destruction of this system in order to further enrich a few road contractors and encourage more cars is exactly contrary to the aim of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), which granted €8 million to promote resource efficiency and support the shift toward a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy in the Marsalforn agricultural sector.”

Flimkien ghal Ambent Ahjar has called on the Planning Authority to demand “full, independent studies for this project, before rushing to approve a permit to run a motorway through Marsalforn valley, ruining one of Gozo’s beautiful, iconic landscapes.”

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