”Intense grass-roots” action wins the day, as over 3,400sqm of pristine farmland and a natural habitat to migratory birds and local wildlife in one of the Nation’s most unspoilt villages Gharb, Gozo, has been given a reprieve from development thanks to the quick response of a ”shell-shocked” public spurred into quick action last month, Din L-Art Helwa Ghawdex has said.

This grass-roots action, initiated in late September by a group of ”enraged” local Gharb citizens, quickly evolved into a public campaign spearheaded by the newly formed DLHGhawdex.

In a statement, DLHGhawdex said that the outrage against the development soon went National with support coming from virtually every relevant NGO on the island and most notably Graffiti, Ghawdix and Wirt Ghawdex.

It went on to say that ”a flood of objections by the public resulted in over 1,200 objections in less than three weeks to the outrageous application PC/00038/20 for the development of over 3,400sqm of ODZ land in Gharb, Gozo.”

The application was submitted by a group of local landowners, ”one of whom is in the employ of the notorious speculative developer and builder of bland apartment blocks Joe Portelli,” said DLHGhawdex.

It added that the application became a ’cause celebre’ among environmentalists, professionals and the general public ”sickened to death by the erosion of the environment by unscrupulous developers.”

DLHGhawdex pointed out that this case became a call to arms not only of Gozitans but also of Maltese who look to Gozo as a ‘last stand’ in the Nation for peace, greenery and open space against the ”onslaught of overdevelopment, noise and chaos that has engulfed Malta.”

It said that the Local Council of Gharb objected to the proposed development after hearing the outcry of emotion, indignation and incredulity of local citizens just the day before the representation period was to close.

Last week, Din L-Art Helwa Ghawdex together with Ghawdix and Wirt Ghawdex, who together have formed a Coalition for Gozo, invited the Chairman Martin Saliba and CEO Perit Vincent Cassar to a discussion of issues of particular concern to Gozo before the end of the year. The group said that it has ”clear, implementable” recommendations that would ”stop the rot” on Gozo.

Din L-Art Helwa Ghawdex and its Coalition for Gozo partners extended its grateful thanks to the thousands of individuals who have sent messages of support and to the general public who exercised their right to vote against the development.

It concluded by extending ”a particular word of thanks and embrace to the several supporting NGOs without whose quick action and powerful publicity machinery most of the public would have been left in the dark.”

Photo: DLHGhawdex.

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