Government placing itself above planning laws, PN says

The government applied to sanction illegal works at the boys' secondary school in Mosta only when news of the illegalities surfaced in the media, PN spokesman for planning Ryan Callus said.

Addressing a press conference outside the Ta' Zokrija school in Mosta, Callus said it was unacceptable that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority ignored both residents and the Mosta local council and intervened only following media enquiries.

The illegal works in question refer to the use of a field in an ODZ area across the school, where rock-cutting and removal of the soil was carried out. The field is to be used by the school for agricultural lessons purposes. 

"We are not against its use for educational purposes but we find it unacceptable that the government declined to apply for a permit when works carried out on this field require permits. So much so, that MEPA is now sanctioning the works because there was a permit," Callus said.

"The government is placing itself above the law. Who from the education ministry gave their consent for works to be carried out without a permit?"

The MP added that MEPA's enforcement directorate "has fallen into a deep sleep as if it were Sleeping Beauty", indicating that the government has no interest in enforcing the law and ensuring environmental protection.

He also hit out at MEPA's decision to consider granting amnesty without first informing the authority's board. Pressed to say whether he agreed with an amnesty, Callus said he could not comment because he didn't have the full information at this stage.

"There are illegalities and there are illegalities. There are those that can be accepted but then there are those, such as a massive building in an ODZ area, which are not," Callus said.

Mosta mayor Shirley Farrugia expressed her frustration at how MEPA, who should be collaborating with local councils to fight illegalities, ignored the local council's correspondence.

Farrugia explained how the council twice sent emails to MEPA only to be ignored on both occasions. A couple of weeks later, the local council was informed that an application to sanction the works had been filed.