PD ‘dismayed’ at Mellieha bypass being ‘handed over to land speculators’

The Democratic Party has conveyed its “dismay” at the way it said a section of the Mellieha bypass, which falls under the government’s jurisdiction, was “handed over to land speculators” to accommodate for a permit such persons had submitted to the Planning Authority.

PD said that this “give away” was being done under the guise of upgrading the bypass, which was going to be divided “from its present surface area of four lanes… into a dead end service road to serve the entrance of this new block, and four much narrower road lanes at a minor junction with Mizieb road”.

The original plan for the Mellieha bypass was to remove one of its lanes turning it into a three-lane road, however, following a number of concerns raised by drivers who used the bypass regularly, reversed this decision and said the road would retain its four lanes and also accommodate a bicycle lane.

Read more:

Transport Minister backtracks on narrowing of Mellieha bypass

“Public land has a very high strategic value to the public,” PD emphasised in a press statement, “This could be classified in terms of economic, environmental, scenic, recreational, cultural or historical value and is usually a combination of these. It is paramount that public land remains public for the benefit of maintaining and improving the quality of life of the Maltese public.”

It went on to highlight that PA permits are subject to third party rights, and it therefore “expected that government object to this permit”.

“The Lands Authority is duty bound to serve public interest. It is strange indeed how public land is being taken to serve as a service road solely for the private needs of the future residents of this block when the main entrance could have been designed to be accessed from Triq l-Isbark tal-Francizi,” it continued.

“It is envisaged that to upgrade this arterial road, public land will be taken from an adjacent Natura 2000 site to make way for space to be created for bicycle lanes, pavements and the Mizieb junction, which in itself is an excellent idea, had proper use of already developed public land been the case,” it remarked.

The Democratic Part made reference to a “new trend for government institutions to bulldoze over people’s rights, doing away with proper public consultations, and added that the lack of public outcry from the Opposition, which failed to back its MPs elected in that constituency, “insinuates collaboration with Joseph Muscat’s government.”

It also underscored its opinion that both the Nationalist and Labour parties were “collaborators in this daylight robbery to the detriment of the people’s assets and possibly road safety.”