Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1199625
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 JANUARY 2020 NEWS an enormous 122,900sq.m site in Swatar on farmland now earmarked for seven- storey-high commercial and residential blocks, residential development on 12,000sq.m of farmland in the Nigret area in Zurrieq and a 40,000sq.m tract in the vicinity of the his- toric Cumbo tower in Mosta. But to the general relief of environmentalists already fac- ing battles on multiple fronts, Planning Minister Ian Borg had told MaltaToday in Feb- ruary that the government will not be changing the develop- ment boundaries last enlarged in 2006, in the "foreseeable" future. Speculation on a pend- ing revision of boundaries has been rife ever since the Labour government commenced a re- vision of the local plans upon being elected in 2013. 6. 700 odds days since, still waiting for new petrol pump policy The government still has to ratify proposed changes to the policy regulating ODZ petrol stations which effectively bans such developments on agri- cultural land. The policy, if ap- proved, will be binding on all pending applications, includ- ing one recently proposed ap- plication to relocate the village square petrol station in Siggiewi to a 1,600sq.m ODZ site along Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi road. But approval of the new policy will exclude any further take up of ODZ agricultural land. 717 days have already passed since the government announced the revision of the policy. 7. What future for the American University? In November the Plan- ning Authority board turned down the proposed American University of Malta (AUM) extension in Bormla as the developers refused to budge from plans submitted in the application which foresaw a new building which would have obstructed views of the historical fortifications and a dormitory set on a public square. Sadeen Group has now ap- pealed against this decision. The land in Bormla and Zon- qor was transferred to Sadeen Group by the Muscat-led ad- ministration in 2016 which promised a major game changing project in the south of Malta. The low number of students (143 according to the latest data) attracted by the new university remains a far cry from the projected target of 710 students by its third year when it was grant- ed a five-year licence in 2016. The contract signed with the government stipulates that four years after the com- pletion of all phases of the development, the university must have a population of at least 4,000 students. 8. St Julian's as the new ferries? The St Julian's local council and environmental organisa- tions are opposing an applica- tion for a hop-on, hop-off fer- ry berth run by the owners of the Fortina hotel proposed in the vicinity of a swimming ar- ea in Balluta. St Julian's mayor Albert Buttigieg has warned that if this project is approved the bay will end up like Sliema Creek. On its part ERA has or- dered studies on the impact of the proposed jetty catering for a 33-metre boat on the marine environment. But this does not address the concerns of residents who fear the trans- formation of Balluta bay into another Ferries. 9. Land reclamation: the next frontier? In November on the eve of the political crisis, environ- ment minister Jose Herrera announced that an €11 mil- lion study of the sea around Malta will form the basis for a proposal which he intended putting before Cabinet in De- cember. He also announced that the study has selected five or six locations where land rec- lamation is possible and causes least environmental damage. MaltaToday had published an internal report by ERA showing that a selection ex- ercise had identified an area extending between Xghajra and Portomaso in St Julian's, which includes waters off Sliema, Valletta and Cot- tonera including the Grand Harbour, for large-scale land reclamation. Although Qa- let Marku in Bahar ic-Ca- ghaq has not been identified for large-scale land reclama- tion, it was still identified for breakwaters, marinas and touristic development. So far, the government has not excluded the development of tourism or residential devel- opment on reclaimed land. The proposed Gozo tunnel which, if approved, would create more than one million tonnes of construction waste will also add more pressure for land reclamation. 10. How long will it take to reform the rural policy? Following the controversial approval of a villa and a pool proposed by developer Joe Portelli on a pristine site in Qala, the Planning Authority announced a public consulta- tion meant to reform a policy approved in 2014. The reform of the contro- versial policy has been in the offing since 2017 when af- ter expressing his "alarm" at the findings of a MaltaTo- day probe which showed that ERA had been ignored by the PA in 69% of approved ODZ applications, Environment Minister Jose Herrera had an- nounced the appointment of a ministerial board tasked with investigating the 2014 policy. The controversial rural policy paved the way for dubious de- velopments in the countryside by opening loopholes for own- ers of countryside ruins, which can now be turned into villas. The most controversial aspect was the policy allowing the transformation of countryside ruins into new dwellings if the owners could prove past resi- dential use. Protest galore: since 2014, Labour's expansionist planning policies has provoked mass outrage among environmental activists and residents' groups. Countless protests have been held against the development of Zonqor Point for a private university, the AUM, and against over- development The DB application represents a major test for the PA, which is bound to reflect on the new Prime Minister's environmental credentials The reform of the controversial rural policy has been in the offing since 2017