Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/439085
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2014 11 2014 in review of environmental regression of a proposed ODZ development in Santa Lucija. The environmental deficit Surely Labour may well plead that their actions pale in compari- son with the actions of the previ- ous government which had not only allowed illegalities to mush- room, with some pending enforce- ments on the coast dating back to the 1990s, but had presided over a massive extension of development boundaries in 2006. A MaltaToday probe in July re- vealed 24 illegal developments set on protected beaches. In fact it was only after the 2008 election that the Gonzi adminis- tration started to address the envi- ronmental deficit through stricter planning rules. Yet Labour seems to forget the environmental deficit it has inher- ited and pushes on with policies promoting more development. The latest hint that the govern- ment will tweak boundaries to include those which were left out unfairly in the 2006 ODZ exten- sion may re-open a can of worms. For this process may well create the perception that the government is using the same pretext used in 2006 when the government claimed that it was simply including lands un- fairly left out in 1988. Surely there have been a few poli- cies where the new government cannot be accused of pandering to developers. One such case was a circular protecting internal gar- dens from rampant development. Another policy is aimed at increas- ing the size of rooms in new dwell- ings in a bid to avoid the creation of small apartments nobody wants. Still even this policy has been tam- pered with, with proposals permit- ting taller buildings (over and above local plan limits) on street corners and in infill sites between blank party walls. Cancer factories Recently Joseph Muscat rightly observed that the environment is a wider issue than land use even if he fails to see the link between hav- ing more buildings and wider issues like air quality, traffic and physical and mental health. The closure of the Marsa power station surely represents an epochal moment through which the quality of life of southern residents is set to improve. Before the election Muscat had wrongly referred to the BWSC plant as a "cancer factory", a claim rejected by experts. The claim was so superficial that the government extended the use of heavy fuel oil and refused to introduce gas oil until the conversion to gas takes place. The government claims that the new gas powered infrastructure will enable it to close the Marsa plant, which surely contributes to respiratory problems in the south of Malta. Although the previous govern- ment made the same claim when the interconnector was approved, it will be the Labour government which will see the Marsa plant closed after decades of PN promises to do so. Yet this change will be partly made possible by another ques- tionable development in Delimara, where LNG tankers will be berthed a short distance away from a power station. Surely in this case a trade off between air quality benefits and aesthetics is understandable and an element of risk exists in all projects. Still the government has benefited from an accommodating Marsax- lokk council, which has failed in keeping up pressure on the govern- ment to relocate the LNG tanker further offshore. Moreover apart from the Marsa power station, the main source of air pollution in the island is traf- fic. So far public transport and road congestion have continued to dete- riorate and much now depends on the performance of the new opera- tors of the public transport service. Moreover planning policies allow- ing a sprawl of development in the countryside or allowing new mega projects or high rises in urban areas may well aggravate congestion. The government should be praised for thinking out of the box by ex- ploring new possibilities like the development of a monorail service. The environmental benefits of such a project depend on whether this will simply create a new level of traf- fic over and above existing roads or whether it would pave the way for more pedestrian traffic free zones in presently congested areas. De- cisions like shelving Renzo Paino's plan for a landscaped garden in the Valletta ditch to make way for a car park send the opposite message. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A possible bone of contention: the White Rocks site (above). There could be NGO clashes with the government if ODZ development is intended. BELOW: Ta' Hagrat temples – an emergency conservation order has been issued about it. RIGHT: The Marsa power station – its turbines provided energy and for the residents of the south its bonus was heavily polluted air. Now, after decades of promises, it is being de-commissioned.