Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1019972
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 AUGUST 2018 6 NEWS JAMES DEBONO THE Environment and Resources Authority is proposing the erec- tion of boulders along a 105-metre stretch to stop vehicles from en- tering and parking in Dahlet Xma- jjar, a Natura 2000 protected site in Armier in Mellieha, located in the vicinity of an adventure camp site. A planning application was re- cently filed by ERA chief execu- tive officer Louise Spiteri, aimed at blocking access to caravans and off-roading on this site. The measure was originally pro- posed in the management plan for the Ramla tat-Torri and Irdum tal-Madonna Natura 2000 site. The plan envisages restora- tion works at Dahlet ix-Xilep and Dahlet ix-Xmajjar which would include the fencing off of the dune habitats to limit trampling. The plan proposed a raised boardwalk installed along the foot- path over the dune from Dahlet ix- Xmajjar to the Dragonara point, to limit trampling on habitats. In this area sand dunes are found in three locations: at Ramla tat- Torri, Dahlet ix-Xmajjar, and Dahlet ix-Xilep. The dune at Dahlet ix-Xmajjar has only recently developed and was not even recorded in a study conducted in 2002. The dune at Ramla tat-Torri, which is more popular with bathers, has un- dergone a considerable decline since the early 1990s. Dahlet ix-Xmajjar probably has the most favourable prospects for conservation as it is not sur- rounded by buildings and may well experience future growth. But loss of habitat in the area has been particularly severe along all three sand dunes, es- pecially at Dahlet ix-Xmajjar, where a section of the sand dune has been obliterated by vehicle incursions. The popularity of Dahlet ix- Xmajjar is also increasing after it was designated as a dog-friendly beach. Boulders proposed to stop vehicles from entering Natura 2000 site MATTHEW VELLA THE new Housing Au- thority boss Leonid McKay, a former di- rector of Caritas, has rushed to clarify comments he gave to The Times in an interview which gave the impression that Malta's exorbitant property prices were not to blame for homeless- ness. In a comment on Facebook, McKay said the "misleading" title 'Don't blame the housing market for homelessness…' failed to communicate his view that homelessness is not only a result of the property market's demand and supply dynamics. "It entails a deeper under- standing of the changes with- in our so-called welfare mix: which implies that a large part of welfare and care pro- vision is carried out beyond or with very little interference from the state or market – whereby community ties play a very important role." In the interview, McKay, who has campaigned for an increase in mini- num wage, is quoted pointing out that "changing traditional ties" in the family were leading to a homeless- ness problem. "I never rejected the fact that low-income households are doubling and forced to search for alternative cheap- er accommodation [and] life- styles because of the current overpriced rent market pric- es in the current economic neo-liberal economic struc- ture," McKay said in his Face- book comment. McKay said he was conscious of the fact that the housing market had failed to deliver decent and affordable accom- modation to low income earn- ers. "I strongly advocate that the State should take an active role and address market fail- ures through, among others, investment to directly pro- vide social housing units to the weakest of our society… introduce new schemes for af- fordable housing to support those persons who are not eli- gible for social housing, keep promoting home ownership, [and] importantly, provide a robust framework of the pri- vate rental sector which en- sures stability and protection for vulnerable tenants." Having worked closely with persons seeking emergency shelters at Dar Papa Frang- isku over the past three years, McKay said it was evident that people with a higher risk of seeking an emergency shel- ter were those with persistent substance dependence, per- sons with mental health chal- lenges, persons with a history of institutionalisation, victims of family breakdown due to domestic abuse and violence, and more recently migrants, both from EU and Sub-Saha- ran countries. "I remain committed to work for sensitive and relevant housing policies to ensure de- cent and affordable housing for the most disadvantaged. I strongly believe that housing is a fundamental human right, not a commodity. This is what I really stand for," McKay said. Housing boss says State must assist persons ineligible for social housing Leonid MCKay