Articles

Mepa audit officer's term extended - Times of Malta

MEPA’s error leads to permit revocation - Di-ve.com

Enemalta Corporation has almost €600 million in outstanding loans - MaltaToday

15/07/2010 - The total number of outstanding loans for Enemalta Corporation, the corporation which generates electricity in Malta, as at March 2010 stood at €581 million.

Baseless claims on vehicle taxation - Times of Malta

08/07/2010 - Until a few years ago, pollution, air quality and the environment were not part of politicians' vocabulary. To claim that registration tax (1994) on cars had environmental aspirations is as baseless as the denial that the black dust which had settled in the south of Malta had anything to do with switching off the Marsa power station precipitators.

Air monitoring stations located in line with EU directive - Mepa - Times of Malta

07/07/2010 - The four air monitoring stations which determine the concentration levels of most air pollutants every 15 minutes are located in accordance and as regulated by the EU directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority said.

Malta opts for heavy fuel oil as EU steers away from it - Times of Malta

06/07/2010 - The EU is steering away from the use of oil-fired power stations, a study has found, but Malta goes in the opposite direction, opting to have an extension of the Delimara plant using heavy fuel oil.

Failure to attain renewable energy targets could cost Malta €36m in worst case - Times of Malta

01/07/2010 - Malta could suffer penalties of between €2.9 million and €36.1 million if it fails to produce 10 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, according to estimates made by the National Audit Office.

People believe more in Church than Mepa on environment - Times of Malta

29/06/2010 - People believe the Church contributes more towards the protection of the environment than the planning authority, which is supposed to be its guardian, according to a survey.

Bruce Anderson: Of course traditional architecture is better - The Independent (UK)

28/06/2010 - On Hyde Park Corner in London there stands Apsley House, the residence of the Dukes of Wellington, also known as No 1 London. Just down the road, on Knightsbridge, there is a new apartment block named One Hyde Park, a genuflection to its illustrious predecessor. The name is the only resemblance.

Brussels insists Malta breaking Med. fishing rules - Times of Malta

24/06/2010 - Malta is breaching the EU's Mediterranean fishing rules, a European Commission official insists.

"Since the adoption of the Mediterranean Regulation in 2007, Malta has made all the necessary arrangements so as to fully comply with its provisions," Rural Affairs Ministry permanent secretary Chris Ciantar said last week.

Malta at loggerheads with Brussels over aviation fuel, noise - Times of Malta

24/06/2010 - Brussels warned Malta today to come in line with its directives on competition in the aviation fuel sector and on environmental noise legislation or risk being taken to the European Court of Justice.

MEPA defers vote on Seven Up factory redevelopment - Jean Paul Cordina

24/06/2010 - The MEPA board has deferred a vote on the development of a sizeable residential and commercial project on the site of the former Seven Up factory in Santa Venera after a number of concerns were raised in the public hearing.

More White Rocks details required - Times of Malta

17/06/2010 - There is more to the White Rocks project than meets the eye at first glance, certainly more than has been made by the Parliamentary Secretary for Sports, who announced the scheme a week ago, and the Prime Minister, who followed up in his usual Sunday outing. Both waxed lyrical, making basic claims which bear a lot more looking into than the opposition seems to have done when it immediately, if cautiously, welcomed the government's announcement.

Restore glory to the opera house - Charlie Maguire

08/06/2010 - As a member of the American Federation of Musicians, I am delighted to learn of the setting up of the Association of Performing Arts Practitioners, which I'm sure will tackle the main challenge facing the arts in a city I love.

Stones & Grasses in Gozo - Victor Borg

08/06/2010 - Does Gozo have what it takes to become a rural tourist destination? The feature below analyses Gozo’s strides and struggles in its bid to develop rural tourism

FAA welcomes MEPA decisions - Times of Malta

13/05/2010 - Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) has welcomed recent decisions taken by Malta Environment and Planning Authority boards that indicate an increased sensitivity to public interest and a social conscience.

Maltese anger at plans to rebuild Valletta - Daily Telegraph.co.uk

08/05/2010 - Malta's citizens are up in arms over plans to rebuild the centre of their historic capital, which was bombed during World War Two.

Plan to reduce nitrate levels in water - di-ve

07/05/2010 - An action plan tackling excess nitrate levels in Maltese groundwater has been put up for consultation, and government hopes to have a final plan by September, Resources Minister George Pullicino said on Friday.

Astrid Vella tiċħad li ħierġa mal-PL - L-Orizzont

21/04/2010 - Il-kordinatrici tal-għaqda Flim­kien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Astrid Vella, ċaħdet li beħsiebha toħroġ bħala kandidata mal-Partit Laburista. Hi qalet dan waqt li l-ġimgħa l-oħra kienet qiegħda twieġeb mistoqsijiet fuq prog­ramm ta’ One Radio.

Farmers extract more groundwater than WSC by Kurt Sansone

23/03/2010 - It may be impossible to imagine the amount of water contained in 9.6 billion two-litre bottles but it is the equivalent used by farmers to irrigate their fields, according to a study. 

More Voodoo Planning - Carmel Cacopardo

30/01/2010 - Carmel Cacopardo      

 The proposed Mepa legislation fails to address basic issues bedevilling land use planning and environment protection. It is basically a consolidation of current legislation with some amendments.

A watchdog called MEA - Victor Axiak

One of the biggest gifts Malta may deserve for 2010 is MEA. But we will surely not get it, not for the New Year, at least. In fact, most of us may not even be ready to accept such a gift. Why? Read on.

Thank goodness he is there - Amadeo Mifsud

23/12/2009 - Echoes of the recently concluded case of two Mepa scapegoats still reverberate, sometimes distortedly. One such echo came from Robert Musumeci (November 21) in a contribution that went awry on at least three instances..

Time Up - A Green Agenda Meetings behind closed doors Carmel Cacopardo

28/10/2009 - The debate on the functioning of the Mepa audit office has identified a number of contentious issues. Foremost among them is whether land use planning decision-makers are entitled to meet behind closed doors with applicants/objectors as part of the process leading to a decision.

Lidl’s Luqa supermarket ‘completely irregular’ – MEPA auditor James Debono

25/10/2009 - “Completely irregular,” declares the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s ombudsman on the permit issued to developer Charles Polidano for the construction of a Lidl supermarket in Luqa.

Proposed Armier development in breach of MEPA’s policies – Austin Walker

2/8/2009 - The chairman of the planning authority has declared that the redevelopment of the Armier’s illegal boathouses “does not fulfil the aims of the policies set for the locality”, in a letter he sent in January to the director of the Government Property Division.

Public transport reform - Charles Buhagiar MP (labour), Attard

31/7/2009 - The Piano project as proposed (together with the pedestrianisation of St George's Square) will effectively remove more than half the existing visitor car parking spaces within Valletta and lead to huge traffic congestion problems especially in the lower (residential) part of Valletta.

The public never asked for a new parliament

19/7/2009 - Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) has studied the Renzo Piano plans for Valletta’s City Gate area, aspects of which are worthy of merit.

World renowned tenor insists on need for national theatre by Francesca Vella

26/11/2008 - World famous Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja is emphasising that Malta is in dire need of a national theatre. Malta is the only country in the developed world without one, he told The Malta Independent.

Climate change hitting harder in Europe, Mediterranean at risk - Ariel David

30/10/2007 - Climate change is affecting Europe faster than the rest of the world and rising temperatures could transform the Mediterranean into a salty and stagnant sea, Italian experts said yesterday.

Warmer waters and increased salinity could doom many of the sea's plant and animal species and ravage the fishing industry, warned participants at a two-day national climate change conference that brought together some 2,000 scientists and officials in Rome.

"Europe and the Mediterranean are warming up faster than the rest of the world," said climatologist Filippo Giorgi. "It's a climate change hot spot, one of the areas where we actually see the change happening."

 Talking point - Planningspeak - Rudolf Ragonesi - Times of Malta - 14th September 2007  

9/17/2007 - Newspeak was coined by George Orwell in his novel Nineteen Eighty Four to refer to the redefinition of words that would help the regime suppress opposition and freedom of speech. Orwell understood that manipulation of language can be a key to control.

Some developers today have become a very powerful force to reckon with, and some are quick to attempt to redefine words in the planning laws to get around even the most obvious restrictions.

One of the first examples of planningspeak to hit our shores was the notorious "cluster villas" to justify blocks of apartments in Madliena in a zone limited to villa development.

FORT CAMBRIDGE – The Unspoken Story

6/12/2007 - As various tall building projects all over Malta move into high gear, the media battle has begun, with each developer vying to woo potential investors. Money talks, and as of late it has talked volumes, with every glossy regaling us with a multistory feature, while full-pages adverts fill the dailies.

But what of the less appealing truths that are left unspoken? One of the most keenly contested projects is that of Fort Cambridge, the ex-Holiday Inn site where the residents feel cheated by the fact that Mepa has removed the developers’ obligation to carry out an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). An EIA is a study of a project’s impact on the area’s geology, flora and fauna, traffic, air quality, social, cultural and heritage values, utility services, nuisance during construction, etc, in order to evaluate the best possible end result both for the project as well as the area.

Europe, Malta and Mepa at FAA Forum - FAA

3/10/2007 - Members of the public showed their determination to learn more about their environmental rights and access to information when they braved the bad weather to attend a Forum organized by the NGO Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) on Friday evening. Celebrating FAA’s first anniversary, Coordinator Astrid Vella said that the NGO’s early experience in trying to preserve Malta’s heritage had immediately shown that the root of the problem lay in planning issues, hence the focus of the Forum

Dik Il-Mara Zghira Izda Qalbiena! - James Debono - 24 ta' Dicembru 2006 - Malta Today

12/24/2006 - Dak li finalment xpruna lil Astrid Vella biex tiehu azzjoni kien it-twaqqigh ta' l-aktar dar antika f'Tas-Sliema, fi Triq il-Kbira, meta organizzat kampanja bla heda halli ma titwaqqax. "Li kieku l-MEPA ma hargitx dak il-permess, ma nahsibx li dal-moviment tas-socjeta' civili kien qatt jibda. Dal-kaz kien indikazzajoni li meta l-izviluppaturi jkollhom ir-rih fil-qala, l-affarijiet isuru kif iridu huma", tghid Vella. L-agha shih li qam kontra d-decizjoni tal-MEPA biex isir it-twaqqigh, bi ksur kontra ghaxar regolamenti tal-MEPA u ta' zewg ligijiet, ghenu biex iqanqlu lil dal-moviment gdid, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA)

One Small Big Woman - James Debono - 24th December 2006 - Malta Today

12/24/2006 - A year ago, the “one small woman” from Sliema galvanised civil society to take to the streets in defence of the environment in 2006, was unknown to the public. What finally spurred Astrid Vella to action was the demolition of Sliema’s oldest house, in High Street, waging a relentless campaign against its pulling down. “If MEPA had not issued that permit, I think this civil society movement would not have started. This case was indicative: when developers have enough leverage, things are done their way,” Vella says.

Economic Prosperity for Island Territories: The Contribution of Cultural Heritage: a paper delivered by Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino at the conference on Island Fragility and Cultural Resources, Heritage Malta, November 3, 2006

11/15/2006 - This paper explores the social and economic implications of Malta's heritage, which indicates that the Maltese currently feel that heritage is a key component of the tourism industry but is a somewhat dead and alien to our daily modern lives; heritage (in its physical form) is tolerable and acceptable as long as it is functional; it is appreciated best if appropriated as a private good

Safrattant…Adrian Grima

9/30/2006 - Nahseb li ma naf lil hadd li jghid li l-ambjent f'pajjizna ma jinsabx f'qaghda hazina. In-Nordici jhobbu jitkellmu fuq it-temp meta ma jkollhomx xi jghidu; ahna nimlew l-ispazju imbarazzanti bejn zewg persuni li ma jafux x'se jaqbdu jghidu lil xulxin bi stqarrijiet dwar l-ambjent u l-politika li ghal min ma jafx il-Maltin jinstemghu tassew radikali u forsi anki rivoluzzjonarji. Timmagina li dak li jkun se johrog mil-lift, jew jitlaq mit-tieg lest ghall-glied, sa l-ahhar nifs, favur il-fidwa ta' l-ambjent naturali u l-wirt arkitettoniku Malti

 The Insider - The Times of Malta Interview by Mark Micallef

8/22/2006 - Having left Mepa only recently after a decade or so working there, Bjorn Bonello explains to Mark Micallef what it is like from within. Since its inception, some 16 years ago, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (then the Planning Authority) has seen its fair share of controversy

Pope John Paul II: A Great Lover and Defender of Nature

8/11/2006 - His mountain strolls, his walks through woods, the silent contemplations on the countryside, the prayers when coming face to face with the magnificence of the Dolomites. All this reflected a love and respect towards nature which John Paul II manifested and nourished throughout the course of his Pontificate

L-imhabba u l-impenn tal-Papa Gwanni Pawlu II dwar in-natura u l-ambjent

8/11/2006 - Din l-imhabba u impenn fissirhom tajjeb hafna Leandro Janni, President ta’ l-Italia Nostra, Sicilia wara l-mewt tal-Q.T. : Il-passiggati tieghu fil-muntanji, il-kontemplazzjoni fis-skiet tal-pajsagg, it-talb quddiem il-kobor ta’ l-isbuhija tad-Dolomiti

Fort Benghisa - Richard I. Borg

4/21/2006 - Find any decent tourist map and you'll find 'Fort Benghisa' listed under sites to see. Finding Fort Benghisa on the map is further enticing since the location is close to the "Ghar Hasan" (Hasan's Cave) area to the East of Dingli Cliffs roughly at the SW tip of Malta

Speech given at Media Today Business Breakfast 22nd March 2006 - Jeremy Boissevain

4/19/2006 - Malta: Taking Stock after fifty years. Where to now?

The Tourist Effect - Petra Bianchi

4/17/2006 - Tourism is one of the biggest industries of the world. In Malta, it is the largest economic sector. So of course we promote it like there's no tomorrow, and hope to earn a lira or two. But do we also stop to think hard and often enough about the negative side of tourism?

Monotony of the Bounty - Kenneth J. Borg

4/15/2006 - I'm sipping my coffee this sunny morning April 15th. , leafing through the first few pages of the Saturday newspaper, when I suddenly stumble upon the usual page of Mepa applications. The full page list is particularly significant today since I've recently beenresearching different sources for property statistics which eventually convinced me that the "23% vacant properties" mentioned by various journalists and the Chairman of the Housing Authority was in fact moderate considering the figures were based on the 1995 census, and an average of 6000 more units per year have been built since. In fact last year alone approximately 9000 more units were built.

The Maltese Houses of Character - Edwin P. Borg

4/15/2006 - A good number of houses that I knew during my childhood have today disappeared. This happened for various reasons such as demolition to make way for bigger projects; alterations to serve different purposes other than those for which they were built, etc. Those that survived, however, are finally beginning to be appreciated and are now being referred to as 'Maltese Houses of Character'

How Green was my Valley? - Kenneth Zammit Tabona

8/7/2006 - Way back in 2002, after years of negotiation, intense notarial research and some arm-twisting, my family sold 36 tumoli of land in Manikata to the tenant farmers for a paltry Lm1,000 a tumolo. The land in question had been inherited from my great grandparents and various other ancestors and the 90c per tumolo that the tenant farmers paid the family per annum had to be divided among the 127 part-owners of this land which, as can be imagined, became more of a burden than the asset it should have been. The family sold the land at one-fifth of its then market value for art saqwi simply because we were lumped with it and reached a point that nobody wanted to take on the administration of it. We considered ourselves to be lucky to persuade the farmers to cough up just over 1,000 years of rent and breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over

The Tal-Papa Field - Astrid Vella

8/7/2006 - It is often said that one only appreciates something once one has lost it. The Tal-Papa field is one of those names that few people had ever heard of until it started to be mentioned in the debate on the expansion of the building boundaries

Second World Country - Martin Scicluna

8/7/2006 - Until about 20 years ago, Malta would probably have been classified as a Third World country or, euphemistically, a developing country. Now, its only real "claim" to Third World status lies in most of its roads and the standard of driving! It might have been thought that on joining the European Union, we would belong to the First World

Ahna L-Maltin - Argus

9/30/2006 - Nahseb li ma naf lil hadd li jghid li l-ambjent f'pajjizna ma jinsabx f'qaghda hazina. In-Nordici jhobbu jitkellmu fuq it-temp meta ma jkollhomx xi jghidu; ahna nimlew l-ispazju imbarazzanti bejn zewg persuni li ma jafux x'se jaqbdu jghidu lil xulxin bi stqarrijiet dwar l-ambjent u l-politika li ghal min ma jafx il-Maltin jinstemghu tassew radikali u forsi anki rivoluzzjonarji. Timmagina li dak li jkun se johrog mil-lift, jew jitlaq mit-tieg lest ghall-glied, sa l-ahhar nifs, favur il-fidwa ta' l-ambjent naturali u l-wirt arkitettoniku Malti

 Heritage is the new sex...- Astrid Vella

4/15/2006 - Or so the trailer advertising BBC's heritage programme would have us believe. The hard-slogging folks down at Din l-Art Helwa or Heritage Malta might not agree to that but in fact, heritage in Malta is on the brink of quite an exciting time in more ways than one

Heritage in the Mire - Astrid Vella

4/15/2006 - And that is to put it politely, as The Times is too circumspect to print the real word. Unfortunately this is no sensational attention-grabbing headline but a literal description of the state of our architectural heritage, some of which is sinking in chest-high rivers of animal effluent

Heritage Heresies - Astrid Vella

4/15/2006 - While last week's article exposed the sorry state of our national built heritage like fortifications, privately-owned cultural heritage, is, if anything in a much more at risk