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MEPA claims that the basis of the new zoning is ‘rationalisation’ and the ‘correction of anomalies’. As long as speculators are allowed to hold on to vacant properties as (untaxed) investments, the property business merry-go-round will continue to drive prices up artificially. As long as our government continues to appease developers, a situation will persist where prices continue to be held artificially high and the price spiral continues unabated, to the detriment of everybody except speculators.
Houses, apartments and penthouses, which are often left as bare brickwork for months or years have become a bizarre form of gambling chips or bartering currency. Now even structures (admittedly not necessarily beautiful) built only a few years ago are being torn down and replaced by (often uglier) apartment blocks into which as many minuscule apartments as possible are squeezed. All this adds to the asthma inducing dust, the constant pounding noise and smashed pavements which make life hell for years for whole neighbourhoods. Not to mention the damage to neighbours’ homes with occasionally fatal results. Is this what developers consider enjoying a “higher standard of living”, while our quality of life continues to be eroded by perpetual building activity where the development frenzy is fired by the pursuit of more and more profit at the expense of the rest of us?
In the feature commemorating Julian Manduca (MaltaToday 14 May), Angelo Xuereb certainly did not have the victims of the artificial property boom in mind when he spoke about an improved standard of living; everything has its price nowadays – even a decent standard of living. The victim of all this is the man in the street and, in particular, our newlyweds who cannot afford the high cost even of a humble property – so much for a higher standard of living. ‘Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar’ is not against any new building development but feels that before yet more virgin land or agricultural areas are destroyed, the authorities should be obliged to examine whether any further buildings are really required and introduce fiscal measures to put existing vacant housing stock onto the market. Claims that this freeing up of more land for development is justified by ‘social considerations’ to provide more housing is belied by the thousands of properties advertised on the market every week.
Besides the architectural and neighbourhood victims of this so-called progress, there is of course the ultimate victim, Malta, “din l-art helwa”, which will soon be unrecognisable as the greed of the few transforms our once fair isle into a desert of shapeless masonry and concrete.
Ing. Paul Cardona
Spokesperson for Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar
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