|
James Debono
Lapsi Street residents in St Julians are up in arms after discovering a barely visible Malta Environment and Planning Authority notice showing an application for the installation of a telecommunications antenna on the St Julians parish church.
Residents expressed disappointment that parish priest Father Ray Toledo did not even inform them of the planning notice.
Residents are concerned about possible health risks and are irked by the fact that they have only until 2 April to submit their representations to MEPA. “Since the notice was attached on Monday, and since Friday is a public holiday, we were effectively denied of our right to express our concerns to MEPA,” a resident told MaltaToday.
A MEPA spokesperson said the notice was published by MEPA on a local newspaper and MEPA’s website on 18th March 2006.
Reacting to the residents’ demand for consultation, Curia PRO Charles Buttigieg said the Church does not normally consult residents about such installations. “However, residents are entitled to lodge their representations with MEPA upon the fixing of the site notice.”
According to the Curia the installation of these antennas on private and public buildings has now become very common and “we are not aware of any form of public consultation ever taking place by other parties.”
The Archbishop’s Curia has a master agreement with each of the two mobile telephony providers regarding the installation of antennas on properties belonging to the Archdiocese, including churches. According to the Curia these agreements have adequate safeguards and the equipment is only installed after the Curia architect has approved every detail of the installation.
The Church also has the assurance of the health authorities that mobile phone antennas do not cause any negative health implications. The Church PRO also pointed out that communications antennae is monitored by the Malta Communications Authority to ensure they operate within the recommended safety limits.
According to Buttigieg the installation of an antenna at St Julians is still under consideration and will be incorporated in the master agreement if it is approved by the Curia architect and the parish priest, and of course by MEPA.
The attitude of the Maltese Church contrasts with that of the Italian Church. Five years ago, Bishop Ennio Antonelli, general secretary of the Bishops Conference, which groups Italy’s 200-plus Catholic dioceses, wrote to his fellow bishops in December advising them to refuse requests to install antennae on churches.
Bishop Antonelli told Italian bishops that sacred buildings are a “cultural asset” which must be protected from anything that could compromise their integrity, spoil their appearance and interfere with their principal function.
The Maltese Church its stand by citing the advice of the health department, which says that there is no proof of any ill effects due from electromagnetic waves.
In July, MaltaToday had revealed the contents of a report by MEPA’s audit officer Joe Falzon which stated that “there is no proof that radio frequency emissions are harmful, neither is there proof that they are not.”
But according to the Curia the installation of antennas on the top of church belfries should further reassure residents. “Being the highest points in most towns and villages, installing antennas on churches is an alternative to installing in places nearer to residents,” a church document issued in 2001 says.
According to a MEPA spokesperson there is no specific policy regulating antennae installation on churches and every case is assessed on it own merits. The spokesperson added that to mitigate the visual impact, antennae can easily be disguised and rendered largely inconspicuous.
A number of planning permissionss for such antennae have been issued where the antenna has been designed as a flag pole whilst others have been incorporated in the belfry structure and camouflaged to blend with the honey coloured stone.
Most churches in Malta are listed monuments under the Antiquities Act and potential Grade 1 buildings. But according to MEPA an antenna is a reversible intervention, which can easily be relocated or taken down should it be found offensive.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
Links:
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2005/07/24/t18.html
|
