Green NGOs says PA debate standards have ‘plummeted into intolerance’

Green NGOs Flimkien għal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth (Malta), Din l-Art Helwa and the Ramblers Association of Malta have said that the standard of debate at the Planning Authority has “plummeted to standards that have not been seen for years, characterised by intolerance towards objectors and the public and lack of access to environmental information.”

In a joint press release, the groups added that intimidation and sarcasm in such fora is used by those who lack sound arguments or conviction of the validity of their stand.

They added that they had been extremely dismayed that Prof Victor Axiaq - the ERA Chairman and the main environmental voice of the board- was not present at the hearing last Thursday.

“Although valid reasons were given, no mention of this was made beforehand, which would have enabled the eNGOs to ask for an adjournment - especially since these were such crucial hearings,” the statement reads.

They went on to point out that it was shocking that while Prof Axiaq’s comments regarding the Mriehel project were presented by PA Board member Timmy Gambin, Axiaq’s comments on the TownSquare project failed to be read out to his colleagues on the board.

“This raises many questions as to why Axiaq’s comments were only given to one colleague, instead of being sent to the PA Board Secretary as per standard procedure.”

Last week, the Planning Authority board narrowly approved the construction and development of a 38-storey tower in Sliema, comprising 159 residential units, 4,719 square metres of offices, 8,241 square metres of commercial space and 748 parking spaces. The building is set to become Malta’s tallest.

The project,  which was approved with seven votes in favour and six against, is set to increase traffic in Sliema by 3,500 cars a day, and it has divided public opinion, with the Sliema local council appealing against the development among others.

In their press statement, the eNGOs went on to question why the Mriehel comments were read out but not those on TownSquare.

“A clear explanation for this non-disclosure needs to be provided,” they said, adding that in the Mriehel case, all Board members except for Ryan Callus and eNGO rep Annick Bonello had voted in favour of a project at Mriehel which was added to the FAR policy illegally, after the closure of public consultation.  The eNGOs pointed out that it had also been established that the Mriehel photomontages were presented in a misleading manner.

They went on to question why the TownSquare project had been approved despite it being characterized by inadequate or non-existent studies on infrastructure, social and retail impact.