Cyrus Engerer calls on government to return Mellieħa land to the public

Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer has called on the government to return a parcel of garigue land in Mellieħa back to the public after the Lands Authority issued a tender to hand it over to developers to build it over.

“What sense does it make for the government to hand over land for development instead of handing it over to families as a natural park?” the Labour MEP asked in a Facebook status this morning.

Engerer urged the government to do the same “right choice” it had made when it returned open spaces in Bormla and Marsaskala, previously earmarked for the AUM campus, back to the public.

The 4000sqm parcel of undeveloped land situated in the Tal-Qortin area was issued on tender for sale by the Lands Authority. The decision to sell the land contrasts the government’s stated aim of greening urban areas.

The government had received three bids for the tract of land which was subject to a right of first refusal, which presumably applied to T&S Property Holdings, a joint venture whose directors are Paul Attard and Paul Vella. The large plot was issued on perpetual emphyteusis terms that can be redeemed after 15 years.

The Labour MEP reiterated his belief that any public land which is presently undeveloped and in a natural states should not be considered for development.

He also noted that the decision contrasted with the government’s declared commitment to buy other parcels in urban areas to turn them in public open spaces. 

The Mellieħa site hosts at least three endemic plants found only in Malta and two indigenous species, which means they were present on the islands before humans arrived here.

Lands Minister Silvio Schembri had not replied to MaltaToday’s questions on how the tender tallies with the government’s commitment to create more green spaces.

Leading botanist Jeffrey Sciberras had told MaltaToday that the diverse vegetation has a crucial role to play in pollination, “apart from the importance garigue patches in urban areas have in absorbing rainwater, which otherwise ends up flooding the roads”.

Oposition MPs Robert Cutajar and Ivan Castillo had also called for the land to be passed to the new government agency Project Green if government is truly committed to creating green open spaxes.

Cutajar and Castillo, both from Mellieħa, called on the authorities to withdraw the tender and ensure that the land is not used for speculation.