Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) is appealing against the permit issued to Transport Malta to widen he Marsalforn Road.

In a statement, FAA pointed out that the road runs through one the most scenic valleys in Gozo, “which is presently almost untouched and never congested other than occasionally at the entry point to Marsalforn, which junction will not be improved by this project.”

“This, the only untouched part of Marsalforn, now that the once-pretty fishing village has been destroyed by over-development,” FAA said

FAA also highlighted the fact that “the €9 million tender for the road construction was awarded to a consortium of Gozitan businessmen before the permit was granted.”

The NGO maintained that “the project is not required since the road is rarely congested, as Gozitan witnesses argued at the Planning Authority hearing.”

It argued that “Transport Malta presented misleading traffic counts, admitting that they were taken at the height of the Santa Maria holiday, the only time when there is heavy traffic on this road.”

FAA stressed that “this project taking up 10,693sq m of agricultural land to widen the road, runs counter to the Gozo and Comino Local Plan which designates much of the land on either side of the road as ‘Land of Agricultural Value.”

It added that the project “violates the SPED stipulation” that Gozo “shall become an ecological island” to protect the Gozitan lifestyle, the island’s environment, resources, and ensure that these play a significant part in attracting more visitors to and investors to the island.”

“This project will also destroy 300 trees and shrubs, of which 44 are protected species, impact wild flora and fauna, destroy a waterway, dikes, water reservoirs and a cultural landscape – just to widen what is essentially a village road which only sees significant but manageable traffic for three months in a year,” FAA said.

FAA also said that Transport Malta claimed that “the road needs to be straightened to reduce accidents, yet straightening and widening this road will encourage drivers to speed, thereby risking more accidents and increasing danger to cyclists.”

FAA maintained that this project is “unnecessary and could easily be replaced by resurfacing of the road and limited, localised upgrades.”

“The Ministry for Gozo’s claim that this is part of the EU Ten-T programme is again misleading nonsense, as that EU programme is intended to facilitate import/export transport; Marsalforn is far from being an industrial/commercial hub,” it said.

FAA argued that, “the fact that the Ministry for Gozo awarded the €9 million road construction tender to a consortium of Gozitan businessmen before the permit was granted, confirms perceptions that the real purpose of this project is to use taxpayer funds to boost contractors’ revenues and provide parking facilities for certain commercial establishments located on this road.”

FAA went on to say that “the waiver of the EIA is illegitimate, and runs counter to the EU EIA Directive.”

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar concluded by appealing to the public to help it fight “the degradation of our countryside and the congestion that undermines residents’ health and Gozo’s tourism by donating to FAA’s Marsalforn appeal fund.“

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