Various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) staged a national protest to
revoke a Ramla l-Ħamra permit to build 23 villas on
the hillside overlooking the Gozitan beach. The protest started at 1830CEST
from in front of Valletta’s
City Gate.
In the protest the NGOs called
for the safeguarding of Gozo’s environment, expressing concerns about other
developments planned for the areas of Ta’Ċenċ and Ħondoq ir-Rummien. Speaking
during the protest Ramblers’
Association of Malta
President Lino Bugeja said Monday’s protest is just the beginning of a campaign aimed at
saving the islands’ environment.
The protest was being
organised by the Xagħra Local Council, BirdLife Malta, Nature Trust, Ramblers'
Association, Friends of the Earth, the Gaia Foundation, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
and the Biological Conservation Research Foundation.
Last week, the
government turned down a request set forward through media reports for an
inquiry into the permit issued, allowing the development to go ahead.
The Government
said that the reports overlook the fact that the principle of redevelopment of
the site where the 1970s Ulysses Lodge stands was not decided by the Malta
Environment and Planning Authority as far back as July 2005, when the outline
application was approved.
The government furthermore noted that the decision not to carry out an
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was taken at this very stage.
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