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Many have spoken out against government’s decision to allow more of our countryside to be buried under more building. The opposition is much wider than the groups who want to protect our natural and cultural heritage. It includes others like the Chamber of Architects, the Chamber of Planners, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Church’s Commission for Sustainable Development. Newspapers and opinion leaders who usually support the PN government have come out against the decision to extend the present built up area in Malta and Gozo.
The Front ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) points out: “Many of the lands proposed for development… include terrains which are not fully flanked by urban areas, land of ecological value, trees which are protected species, areas of established or potential archaeological value as well as agricultural and garigue land. They also violate the principle that there must be no more ribbon-development joining one village with another as a continuous built-up area.”
FAA insists that “Malta is already plagued by over-development and the Maltese can no longer tolerate this unsustainable building activity with levels of dust and noise which would be considered unacceptably-high in any other European country. This excessive construction activity is causing deterioration in the quality of life of the public. Extending the development boundaries will result in yet more construction activity that will continue to add to the existing environmental and aesthetic pollution. …The irrevocable loss of more countryside and increase in construction activity will also have a negative effect on tourism, the mainstay of our economy. Already tourists declare themselves appalled by the over-building and destruction of our villages, coasts and countryside. Further building can only mean fewer tourists.”
Government’s proposal to extend the areas that can be built in our country will simply make worse what the State of the Environment Report 2005 already describes as a very worrying situation: “Landscape is threatened by increasing built-up area, industrial and coastal development, taller buildings on urban fringes obstructing views of historical centres...”. The report expresses “concern that pressure will increase to bury more of our land under more and more vacant buildings… This is resulting in loss of historic fabric, inappropriate design of new and restored buildings...” To make matters worse, the report points out that while 51 per cent of Malta was identified as of high or very high landscape value in 2004, only 12 per cent of Malta’s landscape has been formally protected.
One of the areas targeted for destruction by the government is in the stretch of land between Mellieha and Selmun. The area is known as Ta’ Bragg and il-Qortin ta’ Barra. I agree with the hundreds of citizens who signed a petition saying that the area in question falls within those sites defined by government as qualifying for protection: “There is a need to protect these countryside areas which have an environmental, agricultural, archaeological and/or scenic value and any development will result in a substantial loss of countryside and visual impact will be significant.” The Labour majority in the Mellieha Local Council has voted against the proposed destruction of this area for the same reasons.
In my last article in MaltaToday a fortnight ago I had expressed the concern of Manikata residents that Government wants to extend the built up area in Manikata and allow it to double its present size and even link it up with the tourism zone at Ghajn Tuffieha. The Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment has denied this claim and says that the only building to be allowed in Manikata will be limited to “an infill pocket” adjacent to the existing development zone. But in its hysterical reaction the Ministry conveniently left out its support for a residential golf course in Manikata.
The Manikata residents have every right to feel suspicious. Government has come up with one proposal after another to destroy this small hamlet. Government still wants to go ahead and turn ix-Xaghra l-Hamra into a residential golf course. This is totally contrary to what the North West Local Plan recommends: “Manikata is a small village surrounded by countryside of high agricultural, landscape and archaeological value …The character of the village is dominated by the serenity and quiet environment created by the low number of residents and compactness of the dwellings, and the very few traffic movements through the streets… (There is a need for) restricting the sprawl of tourism and recreational development from the western side of the village… (and the need to) protect the residential character and amenity of the village and support only those activities which enhance community identity.”
Frans Baldacchino
I used to look forward to an evening of food and drink in the company of Frans Baldacchino ‘Il-Budaj’ every summer. It was so interesting and stimulating to be with him. His wit, his naughty smile, his voracious reading appetite, his ability and willingness to engage in debate on a wide range of issues made him quite a unique personality. He was an intellectual much more than many who carry a string of academic qualifications after their name.
While deeply rooted in the local culture of popular singing referred to as ‘ghana’ he was true to its tradition more than those who have become relics of folklore or quaint souvenirs of the past, with “sidrija” and all, singing superficial verses with no deep meaning. Il-Budaj used the traditional idiom to sing about burning contemporary issues of the day. He was a poet, both when he was lyrical, expressing personal feelings about love and loss and also when he used his public voice to sing about political, social and cultural issues.
The best way to celebrate Frans il-Budaj is to commit us to develop cultural policies that promote our poets, singers, writers, composers, artists and artisans. We can do this without withdrawing into a sterile cocoon that cuts us off from the surrounding world. Our country is so small and our resources are so limited that the only way we can continue to develop our personality, identity and diversity is to support and promote those persons who set high standards in their artistic area.
While we must take steps to set up an audio-visual national archive where we can collect our memory through the works of past local artists like ‘il-Budaj’ we must give our culture a future by promoting our artists and celebrating them in our theatres and art galleries and using our limited budget to support them. So far many of the cultural events that go on in our country show that we are still a colony full of unthinking supporters of other countries, mimics rather than original creators of our own culture. Frans Baldacchino ‘il-Budaj’ sang against this colonial hangover and was himself an example of how it is possible to go get out of it and build an authentic local culture as part of the beautiful cultural diversity in the world.
evaristbartolo@hotmail.com
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