Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1363129
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 APRIL 2021 INTERVIEW value World Heritage status. Views and from Valletta, Ġgantija, Manoel Island and Mdina (the last two being Ten- tative World Heritage Sites) are all threatened by large develop- ments. In the case of Manoel Island, the cavalier attitude to- wards our world heritage was encapsulated in the EIA coor- dinator's claim that "Valletta's bastions cannot be seen from the Gzira seafront"! The good news, however, is that while the situation is de- teriorating, there is also more awareness – and resistance - than ever before. Much of this resistance, how- ever, comes from individual NGOs such as FAA: but there is also widespread perception that the various environmen- talist lobbies tend to be 'frag- mented'. How true is that, of today's situation? And if the environmentalist lobby is more or less the only thing standing in developers' way – and you yourself are admitting that it is under-staffed and under-re- sourced – doesn't that also mean that civil society is too powerless to make any differ- ence at all? Yes, I confirm that this percep- tion you mention is totally out- dated. It was already changing 15 years ago; even the fact that most of our press releases now go out in unison, is proof that we are now closer to each other than ever before. So if the perception still per- sists today, it is mainly because it is being fuelled by the 'divide and rule' policies of the powers that be. And also because, un- fortunately, certain journalists keep parroting it. But it is ulti- mately a fallacy, in this day and age. As for that fatalistic view, that 'nothing can be done'… unfor- tunately, people do have this perception, too. But again, it is misplaced. And if there is any one single event that proves this, it was the fact that FAA man- aged to bring down the Manoel Island Environmental Impact Assessment: having it complete- ly annulled at appeals stage. That was a total David and Go- liath battle in which a tiny NGO, with no resources to speak of, managed to stop the giant in its tracks. Not forever, per- haps; but it was a major victory, which brought about significant changes to MIDI's plans. And there were other victo- ries, too: the massive project proposed for the former Trade Fair grounds in Naxxar, was stopped altogether… by joint action between the local council and civil society. And this is an- other reason why I wouldn't say the battle has been 'lost'; quite the contrary, in fact. There has been a major change in climate recently, particularly when it comes to local councils. Many of them are now turning to NGOs in their own struggles against over-development in their localities. And many are working independently, too. At this point, I have to men- tion the historic declaration, made by all Gozo's mayors, at a meeting with the Environment Ministry two weeks ago. That was truly ground-breaking and shows that local councils are now realising that the residents in their localities just can't take it anymore. Most importantly, they are putting aside their po- litical differences to take a col- lective stand in favour of the common good. On its own, this already shows that things are changing. Ob- viously, however, they are not changing fast enough. And this is not only because NGOs are under-resourced; you also have to look at what we're up against. When Perit David Felice was president of the Camber of Ar- chitects [circa 2008], he had stood up during a conference, and addressed the Prime Min- ister directly, saying: 'How can we ever talk about a level play- ing-field, when objectors – who have no resources, or power - are up against the full might of developers - who have all the money to employ the best archi- tects and lawyers?" And I'm afraid that this is tru- er of the situation now, than it was years ago. Because today, developers have not just 'the best architects and lawyers' at their disposal… but also the full weight, support and backing of today's "pro-business govern- ment". And as everyone knows, it is government that pulls the strings at the Planning Author- ity… You say that 'everyone knows' – and certainly, that perception exists – but how much proof is there, really, to support your claim that the present situation "can only be explained by the widespread corruption of Mal- ta's planning system"? Is it re- ally a simple as that? Of course, we don't have inves- tigative powers: but let me put it this way. When you look into certain cases, and you see that every rule in the book has been broken; when you see abusive applications breezing through the planning process: even though the case officers would have adamantly recommended a refusal… and this happens time and time again - then yes: you are left with no alternative, but to conclude that that is indeed the case. One other argument you raised – in the press release, but also earlier in this interview – is that there is a 'change in the atmos- phere' at present. In Gozo in particular, you suggest that there has been a shift in pub- lic opinion regarding develop- ment. What makes you so cer- tain of that? Yes, I do sense that there has been a change: and it is mainly because the developers in Gozo have 'overdone it'. They have crossed a line. As long as the development in Gozo remained mostly of small- scale holiday apartments… there was an element of irrita- tion, at the so-called 'invasion of the Maltese'; but it didn't go far beyond that. Today, however, Gozitans are seeing individual projects like those of Qala, Zebbug, Xlen- di, Marsalforn, and Nadur that – overwhelm the scale of their villages. When you have single projects that are large enough to overwhelm their entire local- ities… let alone several of these enormous projects, all going up at once… that is why Gozitans are now really rebelling against this phenomenon. Because they can see, with their own eyes, that it is seriously impacting their quality of life. For instance: Gozo was never associated with air-pollution in the past. On the contrary, peo- ple would go to Gozo specifi- cally for the fresh air. Yet today, you can smell the air pollution the moment you get to within the outskirts of Victoria. Their very way of life, and the things that Gozitans hold most dear, are being affected. Gozitans tend to identify them- selves with their local landscape and surroundings, more than the Maltese do. And seeing all that landscape being destroyed, has a far, far greater impact on their psyche. And that's before considering that the 'benefits' of all this con- struction are not being shared out across the board. They are going directly into the pockets of only a very small 'elite'. So it's a combination of many factors: but primarily, the prob- lem is traffic; plus the impact on vistas and surroundings, that are very dear to the Gozitans' heart. This is why Gozo's local councils have taken their histor- ic stand; and also why even the Chamber of Architects, and oth- er professional bodies, are now coming round to realise that – as they themselves declared - 'we can't go on like this'.