Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/290775
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 APRIL 2014 14 JAMES DEBONO THE Malta Environment and Planning Authority is not exclud- ing redevelopment of the former pig farm in Comino, located near a coastal gun battery on the side facing the Malta shore, for tourism purposes. The farm, which was built on pristine land in the 1979 and re- turned to government in 2011, lies in a state of complete abandon- ment despite repeated calls by en- vironment NGO Din l-Art Helwa for the government to rehabilitate the site. A consultation document on the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development specifically re- fers to tourism development on "previously developed land" in Comino. The new draft document ambig- uously refers to the need to make "better use" of "previously devel- oped land" in Comino for "tourism and recreation purposes". When asked whether the pig farm is one of the sites where such de- velopment can take place, a MEPA spokesperson insisted that the ref- erence to tourism development in Comino is a "general principle… the proposed SPED document is intended to give strategic direc- tion and does not refer to specific sites." Questions sent to former parlia- mentary secretary for planning, Michael Farrugia, on whether the government has any plans for the Comino pig farm have remained unanswered. Comino is designated as a Natura 2000 site in its entirety. But al- though mostly pristine, it also in- cludes a number of developed sites, including a police station, an isola- tion hospital, a hotel, a cemetery, and an abandoned pig farm. The abandoned pig farm dates back to the 1970s when it was built to take advantage of Comino's iso- lation in order to restock Malta's pig population, which had been totally destroyed by a vicious out- break of African Swine Fever. In 2011, MEPA approved a per- mit to relocate the few remaining pigs to a more organised farm in Ghammieri. One of the sticking points was who was responsible for cleaning the site. Ultimately MEPA decided that the pig farmers' cooperative would have to be responsible for cleaning up the area. But no details were given on how this was going to take place. Three years later, the place is still littered with rubbish, in- cluding telephones, beds and files inside the abandoned buildings. For the past years, Din l-Art Helwa has been calling on the gov- ernment to rehabilitate the land. But instead of restoring the site to its natural state, the government could be tempted to offer the site for tourist development, now that the principle is accepted in the structure plan. Educational farm Din l-Art Helwa council mem- ber Alan Deidun thinks that the former pig farm should be used for educational purposes. "The former pig farm on Comino would make an ideal environmental education centre, with dormitories and lec- ture rooms for small groups of stu- dents on the same lines as a similar Centre at Xrobb l-Ghagin and Villa Psaigon in Buskett." It could also serve as a wildlife and astronomy observatory, in view of the remoteness of the site and its larger dark sky area. The area also could offer facilities which give respite for ramblers, es- pecially during inclement weather when the boat transport service might be stopped at short notice. Din l-Art Helwa insists that MEPA should not only limit de- velopment to the footprint of any existing development, but im- portantly limit the height of any development. "Any proposals for development or re-development on Comino must be subject to the most rigorous of scrutiny. The low-lying contours along certain parts of the island should not be intruded upon by visually obtru- sive (high-rising) development". He also insists that the definition of what constitutes 'disturbed' and 'committed' land should be left in the hands of MEPA's Environment Protection Directorate… and not in the hands of developers' archi- tects. PAGE 1 But Sammut sternly refused to explain the company's functions, and his association with Gafferena, one of his political supporters in the last general elections, as evi- dence by a photo showing the busi- nessman at a 2013 campaign event together with Labour activist San- dro Chetcuti, the president of the Malta Developers' Association. "It's a professional secret," Sam- mut said. The company was only set up on 23 September, 2013 but no notice of liquidation has been uploaded on the Malta Financial Services Authority's company register. When reminded that he was offi- cially listed as a director in compa- ny records, Sammut retorted that it was "a personal matter" and that he was "not bound to answer any questions about such matters". When MaltaToday quizzed the MP about any other business con- nections he had with Gaffarena, Sammut replied: "I am a lawyer… I do not speak about my clients." Company set-up International Tobacco (Malta) Ltd has three shareholders: Gaf- farena, the Labour MP's wife So- nia-Catherine Sammut and UK- based International Tobacco PLC, all having a 33.3% share. The British company, valued at some £5 million, is involved in the manufacture and wholesale of to- bacco products, and its directors include Sergio Calleja, Michael Calleja and Adelaide Ellul. The company's majority share- holder and managing director, Ser- gio Calleja, was last year involved in a botched attempt to open a fac- tory manufacturing cigarettes in the northern Italian city of Trieste. The deal fell through after tobacco giant Philip Morris denied their involvement in the project, with plans to open the factory going up in smoke. Petrol pump permit Earlier this year, the Gaffarena family was granted a temporary clearance to reopen its petrol sta- tion in Qormi against a €500,000 bank guarantee. In reaction to the controversial permit, Joe Gaffarena, the director News Labour MP refuses to comment on Gaffarena business Comino's pig farm descends into state of total neglect The future of Comino is for 'previously developed' sites to turn into tourism projects, but MEPA says its new policy is only a 'general principle'