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MALTATODAY 15 August 2021

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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 AUGUST 2021 14 COMMERCIAL Gozo's very own gatekeeper You've been busy setting up your offices and hiring competent staff. But in the meantime you have also published a number of impor- tant documents. After the GRDA was set up, what was your main focus? Given that the GRDA was set up less than a year ago, our first priorirty was to explain its functions and its role going forward. People were not used to hav- ing an authority focusing solely on Gozo so this entailed an extra effort to explain the extent of its responsibilities vis-a-vis other entities. The next priority was to work on the Regional Impact Assessment Framework, which is a very powerful tool delagated to the Authority by law. This in- volves studies that will be carried out be- fore any project starts, be it infrastructural, regulatory or strategic. We are saying that given the distinct characteritics of Gozo, a project might affect Gozo differently and substainally from Malta. If so, it needs to be subjected to further scrutiny. These as- sessments will build on work already car- ried out by other entities such as ERA and, where necessary, add further to them. The GRDA will then make this assessment and information accessible for Gozitans, con- sult with stakeholders and then publish the findings and take an official position on the issue. What was the feedback you received following the publication of the Regional Impact Assessment framework? This consultation document was a tech- nical document and, as such, was aimed at government departments and other enti- ties. On the whole, our proposal was well received. Some concerns remarked the need not to repeat any studies that would already have been carried out. We will be definitely addressing those concerns and have already published a statement to re- flect the feedback. Mario, in your role at GRDA, how do you go about convincing the public and stakeholders that you are there to look out for their interests? As I said, I am a firm believer in disclos- ing information and make it avialable to the public. I believe that by publishing such information we will go a long way to engage with stakeholders and building trust. The biggest issues arise when infor- mations is not provided or not made avail- able. A case in point is the Marsalforn road project. Social media presented it as if the project will widen the road to a four-lane road, which is completely false. The truth is that the project will be providing more space, in the form of a pedestrains and bicyle lane as well as diverting substantial traffic flows away from the centre of Vic- toria. But these positives were lost and this opened the door to a myriad of complaints that were not justified. Unfortunately, the project came to early for the application of a Regional Impact Assessment which would have address certain issues and may be mitigated some of the costs. But the project as planned will be taking up around 10,000sq.m of agricultural land. Isn't that worrying? We all agree that every square metre of land is valuable given the extremely small size of the Island. You can either choose to leave the space as is or decide to use it for something else. I believe that we have to ask ourselves if it makes sense to have a pedestrian lane on that road. Does it make sense to have a bicycle lane? I am sure some might not agree. But as in everything else, this is about costs and benefits. Some of those 10,000sq.m you mentioned will be taken up from alongside the existing road and a numbers of trees will be lost. As GRDA, we took a proactive approach and together with other stakeholders are exploring ways to minimise any environ- mental costs as far as possible. As I said earlier, the project come 'too earlier' for GRDA to submit it through the Regional Impact Studies. Is the Marsalforn road project tied to other projects in Marsalforn? This is a Gozo Ministry project and it is linked to the T10 network, so certain standards need to be abide by. Exploring berthing facilities in Marsalforn has been made in the consultation document on the regional strategy. The idea is to explore whether berthing facilities for small boats and possibly fast ferries can make use of the Marsalforn breakwater once the pro- ject is approved. As you yourself said, every square metre of land is valuable. Planning and development in Malta often gives rise to concern, criticism and even protests. Granted, development is important for the economy, but how do you safeguard Gozo's cultural heritage from over-development? We must keep in mind that the develop- ment we see around us is not only being done by big developers, who often are tar- gets of criticism, but also by individuals. This issue is definitively of concern and is raised in practically every meeting and discussion I have. It would be simplistic to blame the Planning Authority for this. The truth is development in real estate is tak- ing place also because of the huge demand. I can say that we, as GRDA, are currently working on a study to explore the various factors underpinning this demand and we will be publishing our findings after sum- mer. We will be coming forward with spe- cific and concrete measures. For example, is government incentivising development in Gozo when it should not? Does it make sense to have a lower stamp duty on all type of properties in Gozo or should it dis- criminate between properties depending on type and quality? These are all ques- tions, I believe, we should be addressing in order to tackle the issue. Currently GRDA is holding a consultation on its proposed regional strategy. Why the need for the strategy in the first place? And how this will affect the residents of Gozo? The proposed regional strategy touches on 8 different areas, ranging from econom- ic development to the social dimension, from the use of space to culture and her- itage. We have come forward with over 80 measures that we believe are realistic and capable of making a difference. The scope for the public consultation is to hear from the residents and those with an interest in Gozo. It is important that people partici- pate with ideas and suggestions on how to better move forward as an Island. Having said so, we don't have the pretensions of solving all the problems but to make a pos- itive change. This strategy will help con- solidate efforts and assign priorities. Mario, where do you personally see Gozo in the next five or 10 years? One needs to appreciate that over the last few decades, Gozo made considerable pro- gress. There was definiately less develop- ment but Gozo was also charateristied by low income generating activities and many environmental problems which perhaps we forgot about. For example, employment opportunties were at best very limited and popular spots in Gozo such as Marsalforn used to be regularly damp under a blanket of smoke generated from Xaghra landfill. That was only 30 years ago. We have come a long way in a short time. Have we, as a community erred? Have policy makers made mistakes? Of course. But on the bal- ance of things, I believe we got more things right than wrong. Going forward, we should learn from mistakes. In the years to come, I would like to see more moderate activities in certain industries such as real estate while putting more investment in other areas such as services and the arts. I would definitively like to see more investment in infrastruc- ture and better connectivity. Above all, I want to see Gozo remains Gozo as far as possible, which at times may imply keep- ing both the positive and some of its short- comings. The Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA) is a partner with other national competent authorities in policy formulation. Its role is to ensure a medium-to-long term sustainable plan centered around Gozo's environmental, social and economic needs. PAUL COCKS spoke to its CEO, Mario Borg, on the GRDA's role, how it will bring stakeholders together, and what he hopes Gozo will look like in 10 years' time

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