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MEPA’s Ramla decision threatens to derail the government’s otherwise successful attempts at environmental redemption. But as Environment and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino points out, environmentalists’ demands are sometimes radical By James Debono
Coming after three major government decisions aimed at redeeming the government of its environmental sins – namely, the drafting of new building regulations, the decision to close the hunting season 10 days before time and the decision to shelve the Xaghra l-Hamra golf course – MEPA’s decision to allow 23 villas at Ramla l-Hamra risks re-opening the rift between the government and the greens.
 By distancing himself from MEPA on the Ramla l-Hamra project and promising tougher action on hunting, Pullicino is doing his utmost to heal the rift.
Minister George Pullicino is keen on keeping environmentalists on board. In an incredible balancing act he defends MEPA’s decision without antagonising NGOs, as MEPA Chairman Andrew Calleja did last week when he declared a boycott on Front Ghal Ambjent Ahjar.
“It’s not my task to defend MEPA,” insists the Minister repeatedly while speaking on Ramla l-Hamra. But clearly someone has to do it.
In the interview Minister Pullicino distances himself from MEPA twice: first by disagreeing with the boycott against Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar, and then by stating that he would not have allowed the same density of development in what he persists in calling a “redevelopment.”
The Minister still believes that the visual impact of the new project will represent an improvement over the present Ulysses Lodge, especially in view of the “heavy landscaping” being proposed.
Judging from past experience where projects were presented in a way which never matched reality, does he blame the public for being sceptical when seeing artistic impressions?
The Minister recalls being sceptical himself.
“When the Portomoso project was still at the construction stage, I was sceptical. But when I saw the final product in all its complexity, I came to think that it is one of the best projects in the last 30 years. But I do not blame the people for being sceptical as mistakes were made in the past.”
Surely a case of beauty being in the eyes of the beholder. Still, past experience also shows that after issuing an original permit for ODZ tourist development, MEPA went on to issue permits for further extensions. Pullicino acknowledges this fact, but excludes any extension of the 23 villas at Ramla l-Hamra.
“The difference in this case is that MEPA has set limits to this development (with the exception of a few swimming pools) within the already disturbed area.”
One subject where Pullicino is holding his ground is hunting. Unlike Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil, who declared that the government will open the spring season next year, Pullicino not only refuses to take any such commitment, but makes it clear that even the autumn season should not be taken for granted.
The spring hunting season was stopped abruptly 10 days before the closing date after hundreds of protected birds were shot down by hunters. What will happen if hunters shoot down protected birds of prey when the hunting season re-opens in autumn?
Pullicino is categorical: “I will stop the hunting season. I am making this clear from now. Every hunter has a right to hunt in autumn. But if the same massacre of birds takes place again in autumn, I will immediately do the same thing I did in May.”
The Minister has already made this very clear to the Federazzjoni Kaccaturi Nassaba Konservazzjonisti and other hunters’ organisations.
Pullicino has asked the hunters to prepare a concrete plan of action to show how they will be disciplining their errant members.
“These organisations must embark on self-regulation. Hunters have a right to their hobby within the parameters of our regulations. But this country cannot simply rely on action by the regulator to discipline abusers. The country expects the hunters’ leaders to curtail the activities of members who abuse of the regulations. I am still waiting for the FKNK to prepare such an organised plan.”
What happens if the FKNK fails to submit this plan by autumn?
“The hunting season will open as usual in autumn. But as soon as the first massacre takes place I will stop the hunting season.”
While the autumn season will last as long as the hunters behave, the Minister is not even sure whether the spring season will ever open again. He refuses to take any commitment on whether there will be hunting in spring or not.
“Let’s move one step at a time. I simply say that it should not be taken for granted that the spring season will open again. Let’s see how things develop. We are not giving any guarantee that the spring season will open.”
But is this not creating a sense of uncertainty among hunters and environmentalists alike?
“The government is simply shouldering its responsibilities even in the face of political blackmail. Our position is clear. Everyone has to shoulder his responsibilities including the leaders of the hunting organisations, who have to curtail abusers. I have always said that the hunters’ worst enemies are not BirdLife, but those who break the law.”
Following the decision to stop hunting, the government announced that Xaghra l-Hamra was to be included in a nature park in the northwest of Malta. Newspapers like this one have described the decision as U-turn. Pullicino disagrees.
“The process was very transparent to the extent that way back in November 2005, the Prime Minister declared that the golf course at Xaghra l-Hamra will not be developed at any cost. When the studies showed that to recoup the expenses one would have required massive residential development, we decided not to proceed.”
Still, why did the government need to spend Lm100,000 to establish what environmental NGOs have been saying for the past years; namely, that garigue should be protected? Was it necessary for the Prime Minister to pose for the cameras to discover the ecological value of orchids?
Pullicino insists that the area of the park will occupy a far larger area than that identified for the golf course, insisting that it was never the intention of the government to ruin the most valuable parts of the garigue.
“Let’s not go to extremes. Not all garigue is sacred. There are garigue areas which should be safeguarded as they contain endemic plants. There are garigue areas which are not sacred. We cannot schedule all garigue areas.”
The Minister points out that 12.5 per cent of Malta’s land area is scheduled.
“The average of scheduled land in the European Union is 15 per cent. When one takes in consideration Malta’s density, our 12.5 per cent is very large.”
Surely after scrapping the Xaghra l-Hamra golf course the government will no longer push golf course development…
“As the Prime Minister said, we do not exclude that individuals could propose a golf course but it will have to be sustainable.”
Clearly a reversal of policy, considering that the government was previously paving the way for the Xaghra l-Hamra developers. But up to 2005, golf courses were considered national priority. After MEPA turned down Anglu Xuereb’s Verdala golf course in 2004, the government had asked MEPA to identify a number of sites for golf development. After MEPA identified five potential sites, the government proposed Xaghra l-Hamra to MEPA as an additional site. MEPA responded by declaring Xaghra l-Hamra the best of all the proposed sites. It was a case of the government leading and MEPA following.
Still, Pullicino insists that following the government’s proposal to MEPA to consider Xaghra l-Hamra it was MEPA which identified the garigue area for golf development.
Pullicino excludes any further studies on the sites previously identified by MEPA for golf course development and reveals that he was never enthusiastic about golf course development.
“I have to admit that the idea of developing golf courses never excited me. I think that Malta’s historical heritage, if marketed well, is enough of a magnet for tourism.”
But than why did he support the government’s golf plans?
“Remember that George Pullicino does not take decisions alone and that I also hear various people in the tourism sector speaking on the need for a golf course.”
He recalls that while visiting the Marsa golf course he was told the present golf course can barely cope with its members’ needs, let alone visitors and tourists.
Surely Pullicini feels more at ease talking about nature parks than about the golf greens. But even the government’s latest green move is not immune to controversy. In an interview with MaltaToday, Nature Trust’s president Vince Attard revealed that hunting will not be completely eliminated from the park. Pullicino would not commit himself on this issue.
“I will not be taking this decision. We have set up a board to administer the park and they will be taking this decision.”
He promises that all stakeholders, including BirdLife as well as hunters’ associations, will be consulted.
While refusing to give his opinion on hunting in the northwest park, Pullicino praises Nature Trust’s pragmatic decision to allow hunting in the Dwejra park – a Natura 2000 site.
“They held meetings with hunters’ organisations and decided to allow hunting in the park. A natural park does not exclude all activities.”
But how can he explain such a decision to people who want to take their children to the new park without putting their families in danger?
“This is a country which has hunting seasons. There are periods where hunting is allowed and periods were it is not allowed.”
Yet people tend to frequent the countryside mostly in spring and autumn when hunting takes place.
“But even in spring, hunting is limited to a number of days and not for the entire three months,” says the Minister.
The government is also committed to finance the new park, and has already asked the management board to provide it with a list of works required. “I want to be in a position to ask the Prime Minister to allocate a sum of money in the next budget.”
The first tours in the new park will start as from next October.
Only last year, the government was facing the wrath of environmental NGOs after it announced its intention to extend the development zones. When announcing his decision, George Pullicino promised that he will introduce legislation to stop the widespread practice of sanctioning illegal development outside development zones. Nothing happened since then and MEPA is still sanctioning illegal buildings.
Pullicino still believes that the owners of ODZ illegal building should first remove the illegalities before applying for a MEPA permit.
“I have raised this issue in the Cabinet. Since I am part of the Cabinet I cannot divulge details on Cabinet discussions. But the discussion is far from concluded.”
One case where Pullicino received the applause of environmentalists was the drafting of the new building regulations. Pullicino hopes that the new regulations will be implemented as from the beginning of September.
“Our plan is for the gradual enforcement of these regulations. We do not want to go from one extreme to another as we often do in this country. This is a question of changing a culture.”
During the first phase the regulations will only apply to all major projects, wherever they are located, and on all developments in seven tourist zones, including Sliema and St Julians. The seven localities chosen have the highest concentration of development. The ministry is also considering the inclusion of other localities.
In an article penned last month, Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo, who contests the 10th district, proposed a moratorium on all development in Sliema.
“Egoistically this would be the best thing to happen as it would save me from many electoral headaches,” says Pullicino. But he insists that a moratorium is not the best thing for the environment.
“If a moratorium is announced, speculators will still buy properties, leaving many properties empty and in a state of neglect. The moratorium will simply result in an accumulation of problems. When the moratorium is lifted all these problems will emerge.”
Still, in certain localities like Sliema, residents face a concentration of developments in a confined space. In certain streets one finds three and even more developments taking place at the same time. Instead of a moratorium, Pullicino proposes a more rational allocation of permits for cranes by local councils.
He recalls his experience of trying of trying to reach his late mother’s house.
“I was unable to arrive to my mother’s home since there were two cranes in the street where she lived and two other cranes on the access roads.”
Pullicino calls on local councils to manage the system better. “There should be a system which discourages the installation of cranes for a long time. Councils are justified in charging contractors for each day they keep the cranes installed. In this way instead of keeping a crane for a year and a half, works will be finished in six or eight months.”
Like the Prime Minister, Pullicino refers to the arrogance of certain contractors.
“If we have a culture of self-compliance, regulations will not be necessary. We are only enacting building regulations because of the arrogance of certain contractors. They come with their trucks and think that might is right.”
The minister notes that many works, like the installation of electricity, are sub-contracted to small contractors, but insists that someone has to bear responsibility on all works taking place on a site.
“In Sliema, very near to where my mother used to live, there were works on the extension of a hotel. As I was walking on the front I saw a wave of dust coming from the construction site. I phoned the owner. I asked him whether he realised that the dust was an inconvenience to residents and to the tourists residing in his hotel. He replied that he was not responsible for the action of his contractor.”
But all this will change with the new regulations.
“That is why the new regulations specify that the owner should appoint a site manager. The owner cannot pass responsibility on the contractor and the contractor passing the blame on the architect and the site manager.”
Contractors will also have to start paying a bank guarantee. If they damage the pavements and fail to make repairs, the expense will be deducted from the guarantee.
“It often happens that after a block of flats is built, the pavement is left broken. When the owner is contacted, he absolves himself of responsibility by claiming that he had sold the apartments. In this way nobody pays for the damage.”
Will the environment be an electoral trump card or a liability for the PN?
“I have no doubt that when one sees where we came from, where we have managed to arrive and where we intend to go, and when one compares our vision with Labour’s void, people will realise that the PN is the party which really works for the environment – not by words but by facts.”
But Pullicino admits that there are “pressures coming from all quarters.”
“We should remember that not everyone wants to come on board for the green revolution. Environmentalists sometimes demand radical changes. But if we accelerate the process we could alienate the public. We need a society which is ready to absorb the changes. If society is not ready to absorb changes we could fail.”
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