Front welcomes decision to consider AUM alternatives to Zonqor

Front Harsien ODZ has welcomed a recent commitment by MEPA’s chief executive officer that a final decision on whether to construct the American University of Malta at Zonqor had not yet been taken.

In August, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced that the campus of the American University of Malta will be split in two, with a reduced site at Zonqor Point in Marsascala and the rest of the university housed at Dock 1 in Cospicua.

However, Johann Buttigieg told parliament’s environment committee on 2 November that a decision on the location will only be taken after the finalization of an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) which will consider all short listed sites.

“While we welcome the decision to locate part of the university in Dock Number 1 in Cospicua, we reiterate our complete opposition to the proposal to locate a campus on a site in Zonqor which includes 18000 square meters of land outside development zone,” the Front said in a statement.  

“Zonqor and similar ODZ sites should have never been considered as a location for the new university, and we will continue to exercise pressure to ensure that any EIA conducted considers alternatives to Zonqor.

“While the Prime Minister had identified a site in Zonqor which includes 18000 square meters of ODZ land , the site selection study conducted by the MEPA CEO has not excluded a number of other sites  like a number of historical forts and a tract of land in Tarxien which can still be considered.”.

The Front called on MEPA to issue a final list of all sites which can be considered in the EIA and insisted that all these sites are given equal consideration in the EIA.  

“The terms of reference and the choice of sites shortlisted for the EIA should also be discussed in parliament’s environment committee to ensure that the CEO’s commitment to ensure consideration of all sites and not just Zonqor is respected,” they said.

They also warned that an EIA on Zonqor which considers alternative sites  in one of its chapters is not acceptable.

“Such a procedure does not ensure a thorough and real assessment of alternative sites which so far have only been considered in desktop studies conducted by the MEPA CEO’s office with no input by Environment Protection Directorate and other experts. These studies should include base line studies, ecological and social studies as well as photomontages of the visual impact on each of the short listed sites. Anything short of this would be a cosmetic exercise which falls short of what Buttigieg promised in parliament”.

The Front also reiterated their call on the government to publish the heads of agreement with Sadeen group, the Jordanian developers of the proposed campus, to ensure full transparency and “dispel any doubts that the planning process is simply rubber stamping decisions taken by the government in meetings with the developer”.