WATCH | Anger grips Żurrieq as shadow of massive developments looms over locality

As Żurrieq's rural outskirts face a wave of development, residents warn that their town’s identity is being erased. A controversial project in Nigret has become the flashpoint for wider frustration over outdated local plans, political inaction, and the relentless creep of concrete into Malta’s countryside

As you find your way out of Żurrieq and head towards the blue sea from which this picturesque town gets its name, you find yourself surrounded by fields.

The usual background noise of cars and machinery makes way for the chirping of birds, crowing roosters, and an occasional tractor.

This is Nigret, an area known among residents as one of the most peaceful places to go for a walk around the village. But residents will also tell you that this area is on the verge of irreversible change, and that’s due to the controversial 2006 local plans and the lack of political will to do something about it.

A huge 18,300sq.m area is set to be turned into five blocks of flats in a project backed by some of Malta’s largest business interests with close ties to politicians.

The issue is not specific to Nigret. Żurrieq residents feel that the rural beauty of their home town is slowly being chipped away by development and speculation, as they feel unrepresented by the political class.

MaltaToday went onsite and spoke to some of the people leading the fight to preserve the area.

A village losing its rural soul

Jan Camilleri from Residenti taż-Żurrieq did not mince his words. “The people of Żurrieq are angry and hurt because of this project and others like it.”

He explains that as one approaches Żurrieq, the sight of cranes towering over homes tells a story that something isn’t right. He notes that the way the town is being developed is unsustainable.

Jan condemns the 2006 local plans and their devastating effect on his home town. He asserts that the fight against these local plans must continue, as he called for a proper assessment of the state of Maltese and Gozitan localities.

When asked whether he feels represented by the MPs who contest the fifth district, with four of them being Cabinet members, Jan says Żurrieq is very much represented on the ballot sheet.

But when it comes to taking action, “we barely saw MPs pulling the rope in the same direction as us and that’s unfortunate”.

Jan hopes that the MPs contesting the district recognise their constituents’ anger and make the necessary decisions to protect such areas from excessive development.

(From left) Wayne Flask, Analisa Schembri and Jan Camilleri

‘Bombarded by development’

Analisa Schembri is no stranger to losing special places to development. A part-time farmer, she is currently fighting to preserve a government-owned field that has been in her family for generations on the other side of Żurrieq.

Earlier this year she expressed her disgust at how the Lands Authority allowed a private developer to apply to build a road on public agricultural land in an area known as Tal-Bebbux.

Now, on a sweltering July afternoon, she quips that she has no choice but to engage in activism so that common sense might prevail.

She notes that with the construction planned in Tal-Bebbux and the massive project slated for Nigret, Żurrieq has been bombarded by development on all sides. Annalisa is baffled as she wonders why these projects seem impossible to stop.

“Why do we look at agricultural land as land that’s just waiting to be developed? Why is it that the only consideration we have when we make decisions is how much money we can make?”

On the political class, Annalisa says that MPs, especially those contesting the fifth district, must understand what is happening in these localities, and start to feel a sense of responsibility towards their constituents.

“Surely, the people who voted for them didn’t do so expecting they'd hassle us and force us into activism.”

‘Local plans aren’t Moses’ stone tablets’

Wayne Flask, secretary at Il-Kollettiv, an activist group, describes the case in Nigret as the result of local plan changes that did not consider Malta’s true needs.

He described the 2006 local plan change as a massive exercise in speculation. Flask describes the devastating effect these changes can have on one of the most beautiful areas on the island.

If everything listed in the local plans comes to fruition, he warns, Malta would have a giant landmass of development stretching from Siġġiewi to Birżebbuġa.

This is why Il-Kollettiv has been calling for a revision in the local plans. Flask notes that the local plans are not unchangeable. “They aren’t like Moses’ stone tablets,” he says, pointing out how the Villa Rosa local plan in St George’s Bay was immediately changed to appease developer Anton Camilleri known as Il-Franċiż.

Il-Kollettiv recently filed judicial proceedings against the planning minister and Attorney General for endorsing the rezoning of agricultural land in Nigret.

Flask states that the NGOs behind the judicial proceedings are confident in their argument, although he acknowledges their battle is long and will require a lot of effort.

“We don’t wish to file appeals and go to court but when we’re constrained by politicians and private interests, we will do what we must,” he concludes.