Gozo councils flag environmental concerns in meeting with Environment Minister

The Gozo Regional Council and 17 Gozitan local councils brought their development concerns to the attention of the environmental minister Aaron Farrugia in the hopes of developing better planning policies for Gozo.

Samuel Azzopardi, President of the Gozo Regional Council, said that the meeting was a positive one, and hoped that it will set the ball rolling for further deliberation between all stakeholders.

“We are confident that this will be the first in a series of meetings that will lead to better policies about Gozo because we believe that with all stakeholders on board, we can arrive at more sustainable development which respects the characteristics of our island,” Azzopardi said. 

Apart from the minister, representatives from the Planning Authority (PA) were also present at the meeting to discuss the better protection of Gozo's natural landscape.

Proposals such as assistance and guidance for local councils on planning policies, studies on skylines, and the issue of planning gain were discussed throughout the meeting, while Farrugia explained changes introduced over the past 13 months.

“The message here is that Government is listening and acting upon the proposals of local government, stakeholders, and residents, who want to live in a better environment and enjoy improved quality of life. To attain this, it is important to continue developing our islands, but we need to ensure that this development is sustainable,” Farrugia said. 

PA Chairman Martin Saliba that more work will be done to improve the quality of development in Gozo and in the future these proposals can also be studied in order to lead to better policies for the island.