Residents, council members demonstrate against Mellieha Heights development

A group of Mellieha residents together with their mayor and deputy mayor on Saturday held a demonstration on the site of the contentious Mellieha Heights development.

"We are still in time to save this area and to turn it into a public open space," declared Mellieħa Mayor Gabriel Micallef during a demonstration held on Saturday at the Mellieħa Heights development site.

The protest, organised by Residenti tal-Mellieħa and Il-Kollettiv, drew a crowd of residents led by Mayor Micallef, Deputy Mayor Matthew Borg Cuschieri, and resident Olivia Gauci. 

The demonstration comes in response to the fast-tracked development permit issued to Paul Attard, Secretary General of the Malta Developers Association, for a project that will see 109 apartments built on public land.

The controversial land transfer, which allows Attard to develop the site for a yearly ground rent of €380,000, has raised significant concerns among residents and local officials. 

Deputy Mayor Borg Cuschieri questioned the principles behind the deal, asking, "What is leftist, socialist or Labourite about this deal?"

Residents carried placards expressing their frustration, with messages such as "are we worth less than €380,000 in yearly ground rent?" and "Prime Minister, why are you avoiding us?"

The protest follows an open letter to the Prime Minister signed by over 100 people, requesting his intervention. In response, the developer reportedly commenced works on the site three days ahead of schedule.

Il-Kollettiv, in a statement, accused developer Paul Attard of rushing to commit the site before the results of a requested NAO inquiry into the land transfer are published. 

The group criticised Prime Minister Robert Abela for ignoring residents' calls for a meeting, stating, "This is hardly the attitude of a PM who claims to be socialist, and who works for the people."

The demonstration was also attended by members of political party Momentum and Nationalist MPs from the district. 
Arnold Cassola of Momentum drew parallels to other controversial public land deals, saying the Mellieħa Heights case "flies into the face of the government's empty talk glorifying the creation of green open spaces"