Residents unite in Safi to demand respect and planning justice

Residents from twelve localities gathered in Safi on Saturday to call for justice, respect, and community-led reform in Malta’s planning system, during a press conference organised by il-Kollettiv and the Safi Local Council.

Held at Ta’ Amparell, the proposed site of a 350-apartment project in the small town of 3,000 residents, the event served as a show of unity against what participants described as “a system that ignores people and prioritises developers”.

Safi mayor Johann Mula, who has spearheaded the campaign against the large-scale development, warned that the project could increase the town’s population by a third. 

Local resident Marielle Spiteri compared the blocks of flats being built across the island to “chests of drawers stacked on top of each other,” lamenting the loss of agricultural land and open spaces. She said that while Project Green is opening parks elsewhere, in Safi reisdents are losing one of their few remaining green areas.

Representatives from several other localities echoed similar frustrations. Jan Camilleri, speaking for Residenti taż-Żurrieq, described residents’ ongoing battles against controversial developments in Nigret and Tal-Bebbux. “This is a fight between David and Goliath,” he said. “We don't have the resources the developers have.”

From Sliema, Annamaria Baldacchino accused the Planning Authority of ignoring residents while allowing four hotels to rise within the same area. “She said the sanctioning board is a "joke". “Why do you think so many resident groups are being formed? It’s because we’ve had enough of being ignored, and we won’ stop fighting.”

Billy McBee of Residenti Beltin called the government’s proposed planning reforms “a mechanism designed to dismantle the few safeguards we have left,” arguing they would “normalise irregularities and injustices instead of preventing them.” True reform, he said, should empower residents, “not silence or penalise them.”

In Mellieħa, Olivia Gauci said residents have seen their quality of life deteriorate as large-scale construction projects, including Mellieħa Heights, led by MDA Secretary General Paul Attard, dominate their neighbourhood. “Money is important, but our quality of life is even more important and it’s being stolen from us,” she said. “It is our duty as Maltese to defend our environment and heritage, and the proposed planning laws will amount to utter destruction.”

From Marsaskala, Jacqueline Rotin criticised government plans for a fast ferry terminal that she said would “commercialise” the bay and transform the locality into another mass tourism hotspot. "It is obvious this is not a mobility project that aims to reduce traffic, but a commercial one that aims to expose Marsascala to mass tourism," she said.

The event, held under the banner “Respect Us”, was endorsed by resident associations from Safi, Qrendi, Żurrieq, Marsaskala, Mellieħa, Sliema, Valletta, Birżebbuġa, Żejtun, Swatar, Kalkara, and Marsaxlokk.

Their message was clear: Malta’s planning system must serve people, not profit.