Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1078260
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 FEBRUARY 2019 NEWS of whom complained of being unfairly treated when develop- ment zones were last extended in 2006, made the majority of submissions. In some instances they complained that their ex- clusion from the widening of development zones was politi- cally motivated and meant to "accommodate people living across the road". A number of demands were made by people who purchased their lands from the Church under the impression that the land could be developed. Others justified the inclu- sion of their plots, claiming that these could have been developed under the notori- ous Building Development Act (BDA) enacted by former pub- lic works minister Lorry Sant in 1983. Many of these plots were excluded from develop- ment zones approved in 1988 and 2006. Others cited demographic arguments, arguing that young couples in small localities like Fontana – a small village that practically forms part of Victo- ria – were being forced to find accommodation elsewhere. The Ghasri local council sup- ported this view, arguing that "land for residential develop- ment in Ghasri is very limited" and "younger generations have nowhere to acquire property in Ghasri." Therefore, the council concluded that consideration should be given to the exten- sion of development zones. Some owners begged for their land to be included in devel- opment zones, lamenting that they could not afford to buy a home elsewhere. The owners of the Astra The- atre in Victoria, insisted that there was no justification why this 50-year-old building was still partly listed outside de- velopment zones – namely the theatre hall and backstage. Only a couple of public-spir- ited proposals were made in the consultation process: a call to protect the area between Calypso Cave and Ramla Bay, and a buffer zone to protect the Gordan lighthouse in Ghasri from light pollution. The local plan saga The local plan process, which will include new development boundaries, was meant to be concluded by 2015 but was postponed until after the 2017 general election. Former parliamentary secre- tary Michael Falzon had justi- fied tweaking the 2006 bound- aries by accusing the former government of having been "creative" in including certain lands, but not others. No pro- gress was made under succes- sor Deborah Schembri. The matter is now the responsibility of transport minister Ian Borg. The government is under in- tense pressure by some land- owners left out of the 2006 extension, to have their lands included in development zones – a move that would appreciate the value of their land. But the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Devel- opment (SPED) only foresees "minor adjustments" to de- velopment boundaries "whilst ensuring that the overall result does not constitute a signifi- cant change". In a bid to achieve a zero net loss of non-developable land (ODZ) – and therefore not be accused of enlarging develop- ment zones to appease owners who missed out in 2006 – the government has hinted that it will remove some of its own lands from the development zones to accommodate private owners. In this way the 'tweak- ing' will be compensated by re- drawing the ODZ boundaries elsewhere, but doubts remain whether enough publicly- owned ODZ land exists to off- set the demands by landowners to have their land included in development schemes. Two major residential developments are being proposed in Marsalforn – not least a tourism complex in the pristine Qbajjar by the salt pens. Another project in Qbajjar foresees "up- market, fully detached, two-storey villas" on 18 plots of land off Triq is-Salini.