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18 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 APRIL 2019 22 April 2009 MEPA Auditor's Report reopens can of worms A report by MEPA's internal auditor Joe Fal- zon has done little to take the heat off the plan- ning authority over permits it issued before last March's election. They include a permit issued on the eve of the election for a villa to be developed on the pig farm belonging to Safi mayor Peter Pawl Busuttil; the supermarket in Luqa constructed by Charles Polidano on outside development land where a previous developer claimed his request for a permit had been turned down three times; and the furnishing of illegal build- ings with water and electricity. Falzon reprimanded MEPA for using a newly-approved agricultural policy as the pre- text to justify an outline permit for National- ist mayor Peter Paul Busuttil to construct his bungalow and swimming pool outside develop- ment zones, on his former pig farm. Falzon started investigating the case follow- ing reports on Kulhadd and MaltaToday. The permit was issued a few weeks before the general elections on the strength of a policy that allows farm buildings to be converted into dwellings. Falzon said the conversion can only be granted if the Director of Veterinary Services declares the building cannot be used for agri- culture. But "the ease with which the applicant of the case under consideration obtained the required certificate, clearly indicates what is likely to happen." In his investigation on the Safi mayor's per- mit, Falzon reprimanded the DCC board for not seeking the advice of the Planning Directo- rate when it decided to apply the policy on the conversion of disused farm building. Falzon is calling on MEPA to change its policy. Following his damning report of MEPA's approval of an application by Polidano Bros. to build a supermarket in Safi, Falzon also reveals that he is investigating another supermarket by the developer in Luqa. Falzon started his in- vestigation after the original owner of the land complained that his requests to develop the same land was turned down on three occasions by MEPA. Subsequently he sold his land to the present developer who had no difficulty to obtain the development permit requested. MEPA Auditor Joe Falzon also reiterated his view that the appointment of Roderick Galdes as the Opposition's representative on the MEPA board went against the provisions of the Devel- opment Planning Act. The article forbids pub- lic officers from serving on the MEPA board. Falzon claims Galdes's dual role as MEPA em- ployee and MEPA board member "results in a conflict between his duties as a MEPA employee and his duties as a Board member" MaltaToday 10 years ago Quote of the Week People first, not profits Editorial "An agreement between the two major parties should never take precedence over scientific studies." Nationalist MP Frederick Azzopardi speaking during the Government Motion on the Gozo Tunnel AS if it were not bad enough that the rural en- vironment is being lost to speculative develop- ment, the 'war on open spaces' has now been extended to urban centres and village cores. Even in built-up areas, Malta's few remain- ing public spaces are being taken over for the profit of countless bars and restaurants with encroachments that allow platforms to be erected out on streets. Until some time ago, this policy was irregu- larly applied, resulting in general dissatisfac- tion among the business community – and justifiably so, given that certain restaurants were being unfairly advantaged, by extending their table covers beyond their premises. After 2013, the incoming Labour adminis- tration adopted a political direction to allow almost every single requestor of an encroach- ment the necessary permit to erect outside platforms. The result is nothing short of disastrous. Entire pavements have now been taken over by servers, turning what were once public walkways into waiting areas for restaurant staff. Parking spaces have been lost, simply to benefit the whims of establishment owners to increase their table covers beyond what they have paid for inside the premises they own or rent. Customers are themselves exposed to the dangers of traffic, being located right on the road where, plausibly, a tragic accident could happen because of over-speeding. And then there is the deleterious effect that such encroachments have had on our towns' aesthetic: unsightly platforms designed to conjure up some 'al fresco' ambience, which are nothing but encroachments into our pub- lic spaces, socialising the costs of the taking- away of public space, while establishment owners reap the profits. Whereas before, owners were guilty of fail- ing to ensure a clear and adequate access to pedestrians – bearing in mind that in busy areas there are also safety considerations due to the large volume of traffic flowing – they now have been given the divine right to oc- cupy our pavements. Although it may not be immediately evi- dent, this, too, is part of what is essentially a political problem. The popularity of the cur- rent Labour administration owes itself also to a laissez-faire, free-for-all attitude; and the more popular it grows, the more carefree it has become in turning a blind eye to the problems its policies produce. The same lesson has not been lost on the Opposition, which now seems reluctant to pursue such causes for fear of appearing 'anti-business'. On the contrary, the Oppo- sition – with the notable exception of PD's two MPs, who raise such issues frequently – seems to be trying to outdo Labour in curry- ing favour with business interests at times. The result is a situation where there is no realistic, viable alternative government-in- waiting willing to challenge the status quo. Instead, it falls to independent politicians and civil society: where the spirit is certainly willing, but the political clout is weak. A classic example of this unsavoury state of affairs unfolded this week, when both PN and PL unanimously approved a motion to endorse the Gozo-Malta tunnel link proposal. It is unconscionable that both government and Opposition parties have committed themselves to this project, at a time when the scientific reports and environmental impact assessments are still being drawn up. In an age when lack of regard for scientific advice has brought the world to the brink of disaster, it simply beggars belief that Malta's House of Parliament would make such a bald statement of their total disregard for scientific opinion. Like climate-change scep- tics, they doggedly persist in their mantra that 'the economy should override all other concerns'… even if those concerns involve the health and safety of people, and threaten their way of life. Above all, however, it confirms – yet again – that when it comes to policies and political approach, there is very little to distinguish between the two parties at all. Both are will- ing to go with the flow of public opinion, even if the tide may crash the country onto the rocks. Both are eager to persist with an unsustainable, construction-driven economic motor, knowing full well that we are only cre- ating more problems for future generations to solve. As with the war on public spaces, the La- bour and Nationalist Party's concerns clearly lie where the money is… and not where the long-term interests of their own constituents truly lie. The result is a country which doggedly at- taches more importance to cars than pedes- trians when planning roads; that caves into increasingly unsustainable demands from powerful business lobbies; that issues permits before drawing up regional masterplans… and, regrettably, where it is now becoming dangerous to simply walk along the street: only to find your path blocked by a cafeteria extension – or a poorly-planned construction deviation – and be forced into the path of on- coming traffic. Here, again, politicians are ignoring expert advice. A doctor working in the Emergency department recently described traffic acci- dents as an epidemic that carries a significant social cost. He specifically pointed out – among other areas, such as lack of enforce- ment, that this spike in accidents is attribut- able to poor pedestrian traffic management. Are policy-makers listening? Evidently not; and no single voice of opposition seems willing to take up the mantle for ordinary citizens, and amplify a simple mantra: people first, not profits.