Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546095
GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. GozoToday is published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 DEPUTY EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt 3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 7 AUGUST 2026 NEWS 2.7-hectare solar farm proposed for a scenic Gozo plateau 'Zero tolerance for those who profit by breaking the rules' THE Planning Board will decide on 4 September whether to ap- prove a 27,360sq.m solar farm at Ta' Kuljat in Żebbuġ, Gozo, after the Planning Authority's Devel- opment Management Directo- rate recommended the applica- tion be refused. The Planning Authority (PA) said the project would indus- trialise a prominent rural land- scape and conflict with several planning policies. The site, covering almost four full-size football pitches, lies outside the development zone on an elevated plateau charac- terised by garrigue, cultivated and uncultivated fields, natural vegetation and rubble walls. The application (PA/03747/2) was submitted by Kurt Stephen Galea for a photovoltaic installa- tion and ancillary structures. The site is designated as an Ar- ea of High Landscape Sensitivity under the Gozo and Comino Lo- cal Plan and is also identified as a Category B valley, with parts of its fringes classified as garrigue. The case officer said the pro- posal was unacceptable "in prin- ciple", rather than simply raising concerns about its design. More than 400 representations have been submitted, including objections from the Żebbuġ Lo- cal Council, Nature Trust, the Archaeological Society of Malta, Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Din l-Art Ħel- wa Għawdex and BirdLife Malta. Objectors have raised concerns about the loss of rural land, in- dustrialisation of the landscape, access and archaeological im- pacts. The PA also said the propos- al conflicts with the 2021 So- lar Farm Policy, which directs commercial solar farms towards locations including large roof- tops, industrial areas, Areas of Containment, disused landfills and suitable quarries. The poli- cy excludes such developments from open countryside, scenic areas, garrigue, valleys and areas of archaeological, cultural or sci- entific interest. Heritage concerns have also been raised. The Superintendence of Cul- tural Heritage warned the de- velopment would occupy a sig- nificant part of one of Gozo's "iconic plateaus" and could af- fect long-distance views, includ- ing views from the Citadella. The National World Heritage Technical Committee called for a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment to assess the im- pact on views to and from the Citadella. However, the PA did not request the assessment after concluding that the solar farm was unacceptable at the site in principle. The Environment and Re- sources Authority also objected, describing the proposal as an "unacceptable urbanization and industrialization of a prominent rural plateau". The case officer said the re- newable-energy objective did not override the planning re- strictions applying to the site and warned of a negative visual impact on Ta' Kuljat and its sur- roundings, "including, potential- ly, the Cittadella". The site is designated as an Area of High Landscape Sensitivity under the Gozo and Comino Local Plan and is also identified as a Category B valley CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Bajada noted that, as the European Parliament's rap- porteur on strengthening the EU's response to illegal fish- ing, he helped steer legislation designed to give authorities stronger powers to identify, in- vestigate and act against those who undermine the sustaina- bility of European fisheries. He called on the European Commission, national author- ities and other stakeholders to cooperate to ensure the rules are applied consistently. "There must be zero toler- ance for those who profit by breaking the rules while hon- est fishers pay the price. Prop- er enforcement protects our seas, safeguards the future of the fishing sector and ensures a level playing field for everyone who respects the law," he said. The appeal comes after years of pressureover illegal lampuki fishing in the Mediterranean. Since entering the European Parliament, the Maltese MEP has repeatedly raised concerns over alleged illegal fishing and the sale of lampuki during the closed season, arguing that Maltese fishers who comply with strict conservation rules are being placed at a competi- tive disadvantage. Last year, Bajada urged the European Commission to in- vestigate social media footage that appeared to show Italian and Tunisian fishers catching and commercialising lampuki before the season officially opened on 15 August. He called on the European Fisheries Control Agency and national authorities to investi- gate the alleged breaches and bring the matter before the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean's com- pliance committee. Those efforts were followed by what the Maltese govern- ment described as a landmark breakthrough, after the Gen- eral Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean agreed to take action against 21 vessels, including one repeatedly re- ported by Maltese fishers, over illegal lampuki fishing. The decision was hailed by government as the culmination of years of lobbying by Maltese authorities, fishers and Bajada. The issue has long been a source of tension for Malta's fishing industry. MaltaToday first reported in 2019 on com- plaints by Maltese and Gozitan fishers that Tunisian vessels were encroaching on tradi- tional lampuki fishing grounds, with some incidents escalating into confrontations at sea. Separately, the European Commission recently approved a pilot project allowing Mal- ta to open the lampuki season earlier under controlled condi- tions, a move intended to bet- ter align fishing practices with the species' migration while maintaining sustainability ob- jectives. The project forms part of wid- er efforts to modernise man- agement of the fishery without compromising conservation measures. Bajada said the Mediterrane- an could not afford compla- cency, insisting that protecting fish stocks was essential not only for the marine environ- ment but also for coastal com- munities, future generations and Europe's food security. Lampuki fishing in the Mediterranean is only allowed from 15 August to 31 December, and any fishing carried out outside the season is in breach of General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) regulation JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt