News • 20 July 2003

Gardens in Balzan under threat

The degradation of Maltese towns and villages continues unabated and no areas are unaffected.

Over the past weeks gardens in the Balzan town centre came under attack and several mature orange trees were cut down. A planning application has been made to alter the façade and demolish three houses numbered 57, 58 and 59 Main Street Balzan, by Mr Pierre Grech Cumbo Pillow. It appears that a wall was knocked down by a bulldozer through the nearby Good Shepherd’s nuns convent garden in Idmejda Street and several trees were consigned to history.

Questioned on the matter by MaltaToday MEPA said "Environment Inspectors from the Environment Protection Directorate have inspected the site and stopped the works. A number of trees were uprooted and the Environment Protection Directorate will be taking legal action against the developer. No soil was removed from the site and no other works were undertaken. MEPA shall continue to monitor the site."

According to MEPA’s guidelines gardens within urban inner cores – as are these houses in Balzan - are protected. The guidelines on gardens and backyards state that applications to develop open spaces within the inner cores of urban conservation areas will not be permitted as these are likely to have unacceptable traffic generation implications and to conflict with the functions of open areas within UCAs.

These functions include suppressing noise, providing fresh air and light and providing much needed distance between adjacent land uses in often high-density areas. MEPA also has the ability to protect trees.