Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/513060
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 MAY 2015 News 7 the government. "We made direct contact with government during our first visit to the island in April 2014. At Sadeen, investment decisions aren't based on personal relations but as a result of comprehensive studies covering market opportu- nity, financial, economical, legal and other business aspects that altogether convince us of the vi- ability of the project." Zonqor was identified through a "desktop study" conducted by the office of MEPA Chief Executive Officer, Johann Buttigieg – osten- sibly on the instruction of the Of- fice of the Prime Minister, under whose responsibility MEPA ulti- mately falls. Councillors were also told that buildings would not rise higher than three storeys, although they would not commit themselves to setting the height in metres for each storey. Offering cheap public land for development has characterised a number of land development projects carried out over the past decades, which included the Por- tomaso development, Smart City and the attempt by the previous government to offer White Rocks for a combination of sports and residential development. The sale of public land Cheap ground rents to accom- modate development have been an undeclared policy by govern- ments over the past decades. The entire area of Portomaso was leased by the state to the de- velopers for Lm191,000 (€444,910) until 2014, and eventually sold to the developers for Lm800,000 in 2006. The Ricasoli land – a huge in- dustrial wasteland the size of 40 football grounds – was offered to Tecom Investments for a ground rent of Lm65,000 (€150,000) a year, increasing by 5% every five years. The project also included 119,000 square metres of floor-space (the size of 20 football grounds) for real estate and commercial devel- opment. In 1999 a public tender was is- sued for the development of White Rocks, restricting develop- ment to the site occupied by the abandoned holiday complex. But in 2010 Prime Minister Law- rence Gonzi changed tack, accept- ing the idea of real estate as a way of financing the development of a sports complex. Negotiations were carried out with a UK consortium in the absence of any public tender, but talks failed to yield any tangi- ble results, amid concern that the project would have impacted on a buffer zone for a Natura 2000 site. In 2014, Labour issued a call for expressions of interest, aimed at attracting real estate development. The real estate component was ac- tually an an end in itself, since the government is now targeting "a village of luxury units" that will be fully developed and funded by the private sector. The development in Zonqor takes this logic to a new level: the land the government wants to dish out to developers is earmarked for inclusion in a natural park that was already proposed in the local plan approved in 2006. THE Malta Environment and Planning Authority has insisted that the site for the American University, an area the size of 12 football pitches, is "the one which has the lesser impact" on the environment. Earlier this week MaltaToday revealed that the 2006 local plan had designated the area as being part of a proposed natural park. When MaltaToday asked MEPA why the site was even considered, a spokesperson re- plied that MEPA had carried out a comparative analysis on sites in the south of Malta where land belongs to the government. "Of all the sites identified in the south, that are government- owned, the site at Zonqor in Marsaskala is the one which has the lesser impact," the MEPA spokesperson said. In an earlier reply, MEPA re- vealed that the only site in the south conforming to the govern- ment's specification that the land should be mostly government- owned, was the area around St Leonard Fort but this was dis- carded because of the impact on the fortification. MEPA justified Zonqor because although the area was outside development zones, the site was neither scheduled nor a Natura 2000 site. "As long as a project is in line with the provisions of the Struc- ture Plan, a project can be con- sidered by the authority," the spokesperson replied when it was pointed out that the Ameri- can University would be in sharp conflict with the 2006 local plan. Alternative sites would still be considered in the future. "As part of the EIA process, the applicant will be obliged to carry out a full site selection exercise together with studies on what alternative building technologies can be ap- plied." The 2006 local plan states that the area at l-Ghassa tal-Munxar in Marsaskala and the coastal stretch between Zonqor Point and Xghajra's Blata l-Bajda should be a natural park as "pri- marily for informal recreation (e.g. walking, cycling) and the appreciation of the ecological, geological, archaeological as well as cultural-historical features of these areas." And yet the site was still ear- marked as 'acceptable' for Sadeen's plans for a university campus, in a desktop study con- ducted by the "coordination of- fice" of MEPA chief executive officer Johann Buttigieg. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has declared that the proposed park is "complementary" to the ODZ campus development. Sadeen have also committed to part-finance the natural park. But effectively it turns out that the developers will be taking part of the proposed natural park, despite it carrying the seal of ap- proval in a legally binding local plan. MEPA's Planning Directorate normally recommends a refusal for any development deemed to be in breach of policies enshrined in the approved local plan. Only limited commercial devel- opment related to the needs of visitors can be approved in the approved natural park and this has to be identified by a manage- ment plan. Despite designating the area as a natural park, the PN govern- ment had not approved manage- ment plans for the different areas of the natural park. In 2009 part of the site was even proposed for the relocation of a caravan site, but this idea was scrapped after NGOs objected. MEPA claims Zonqor university has 'lesser impact' upon environment The White Rocks area – first choice, subsequently discarded, by the Sadeen Group for the 'American University of Malta'