Environmental NGOs criticise 'impotent' environment minister

Environmental NGOs Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth, and the Ramblers’ Association have said environment minister Leo Brincat is ‘completely silent and impotent’ in the face of what they have termed "theft" of land.

In the wake of recent purchases of public land, which the NGOs have described as theft, they said “We are seeing a grab of public land of unprecedented proportions in areas ranging from San Blas, Marsalforn, Comino, Mellieha, Bugibba, Sliema, Ta’ Xbiex, Birgu, and Marsaskala,” the NGOs said. “Some of them are totally abusive and others, such as the outrageous privatisation of the Ta’ Xbiex gardens, are initiated by the authorities.”

“The Gozitan coastline is especially targeted, as restaurants are taking over the promenades at Marsalforn and Xlendi as well as il-Kantra Bay in Mgarr ix-Xini,” the NGOs said.

The green NGOs added that the ‘loopholes’ in new regulations, the ‘fast-tracking of applications’ and ‘public, official charades like that of the MonteKristo Estates’ have sent the wrong message to ‘developers’.

They also said that such developments go against MEPA’s Structure Plan, which states that “the Planning Authority will rigidly control the development of the countryside and coast” because they are “two of the nation’s most valuable natural resources.”

“This amounts to a bare-faced erosion of public rights, condemned by the Ombudsman as a bad administration without due consideration of the national interest,” the NGOs said.

The three NGOs have launched a Change.org petition requesting Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to protect public spaces and MEPA to object the proposed lido extension at Ferro Bay, Sliema. The online petition can be accessed from here:

https://www.change.org/p/dr-joseph-muscat-protect-malta-s-public-spaces