Cabinet’s Villa Rosa kowtow indicates its priority ‘is not the common good,’ ADPD says

The 2016 Public Domain Act, which protects Malta’s coast from speculators, is being “practically ignored” by the same government which enacted it, said the ADPD during a news conference on Saturday in which they called for a policy “that puts the people at the centre of politics and not unrestrained speculation.”

Addressing a press conference this morning, following a separate protest against the approval of a construction project at Villa Rosa,  ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci said she found it “alarming that the government has taken the decision to amend the local plans in order to promote the project.  The Planning Authority has launched the planning exercise, but there are no specific proposals regarding the change of local plans. 

“We have yet to see, because this is a consultation based on what has yet to be proposed.  We do not know what led to this decision.  We know that the Prime Minister Robert Abela admitted that he had meetings with the developers. 

“While the meetings with the representatives of the sector are important, we need to know how these meetings are held, what came out of these meetings and if the minutes of these meetings are kept.  Transparency should be a priority for every government and every meeting held should be official with minutes taken and accessible to citizens. After all, the Prime Minister of Malta is supposed to serve the Maltese people and not just those of one sector,” Gauci told the protestors.

“But the matter does not stop here.  Our coast is being stolen from the people for commercial purposes and for speculation.  A few years ago, Parliament approved legislation, known as the Public Domain Act, where the coast and the land along the beach is declared public domain.  By doing so, the government committed itself to protect the public heritage, including the environment, for the benefit of future generations.  

“But this law was apparently just an exercise that has been practically ignored in this case.  After all these years, it is evident that the construction sector is being given preferential treatment, and the fact that the government is ready to change the local plans shows this,”  Gauci went on. 

The ADPD leader pointed to another Labour volte face: when the rationalization plan for the area was approved by a PN government in 2006, the Labour party had “rightly shown great opposition.”  

“However, when they came into government, this opposition was conveniently forgotten.  Now in 2024, the planning rules will be amended for the umpteenth time in the interest of a developer’s project.”

In her speech to protestors, ADPD Deputy Chairperson Melissa Bagley said that when the Villa Rosa project permit was issued, it had done so in the face of great opposition. "Here you have a project that involves a 34-storey tower, and two 27-storey towers, around St. George's Bay.  Studies show that a project of this magnitude in a place that is already crowded will obviously put a burden on the local infrastructure, such as traffic. The beach, which has been granted Blue Flag status, will end up in the shadow of the massive towers.  The Environmental Impact Assessment that was published last year showed that the project will have a negative impact on the surrounding environment and the air of the locality, both during construction and during operation.  

“Therefore, how sustainable is this project for the site earmarked for development?  Without a doubt, this project will affect the quality of life of the residents.  Let's also not forget the damage that will be done to Wied Ħarq Ħamiem and the present ecosystem. We have a government that promises open spaces and green spaces but finds it difficult to conserve those open and green spaces that have been provided by nature,” Bagley said.

“As a country we are already seeing the fruits of overtourism,” she added. “With the accommodation we currently have to offer and what is planned, we would need close to 5 million tourists every year in order to have an occupancy rate of around 80%.”

“Earlier this month, the Cabinet of Ministers gave the Planning Authority the green light to kickstart the amendments in the local plan to accommodate the Villa Rosa project,” Gauci told the crowd of attendees. “A project that will involve the takeover of the coast and surrounding coastal areas.  

That decision was proof that the government's priorities “are not the protection of the common good, but the benefit of the few,”  Gauci said.