Welcome
FAA is a non party-political pressure group composed of citizens committed to preserving Malta and Gozo’s urban and rural heritage, as well as our health and quality of life. The organisation raises awareness on issues such as better preservation and use of our heritage assets, land use, air quality, water conservation and improved public transport.
LAST CHANCE TO SAVE MORE OF OUR COUNTRYSIDE FROM BEING BUILT UP
The NGOs Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Ramblers Association of Malta and Friends of the Earth Malta invite you to help them save more of our countryside from being built up by petitioning Dr. Janez Potocnik, the new EU Environment Commissioner. Go directly to petition.
In July 2006, the Maltese Government approved the Rationalisation Scheme to add countryside sites all over Malta and Gozo to the building zones. If building permits are issued on these sites, thousands of residents will be negatively affected. This is already happening in the Tad-Dib area in Mosta, where 650 new homes will be built on open fields, while Naxxar residents are extremely worried about plans to build an enormous supermarket facing their homes. About 60 other areas all over Malta and Gozo are affected, including other large building projects. These developments will be on land previously classed as Outside Development Zone (ODZ), and they could be just outside your front door.
This Rationalisation Scheme was passed through Parliament by Government :
- Even though we have a far lower percentage of countryside than other EU countries;
- Even though the MEPA Local Plans already provide for 90,000 new housing units, double what Malta needs by 2020;
- Even though Malta already has over 75,000 vacant properties;
- Even though the Authorities had admitted that the extra building land would not reduce property prices;
- Although the Government claimed that these sites would allow owners to build housing for their own use, many are large-scale and intended for speculative development.
According to EU regulations, such a scheme should have been preceded by a Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA), to ensure that it was really necessary, and subjected to full public consultation. Our Government ignored these requirements - insisting there was no time or need for an SEA. The EU Directives were violated and development of these sites is accelerating to the detriment of the health and well-being of residents in those areas and across Malta.
The NGOs had petitioned the EU, and together with 125 individuals, started a court case against the Government, which is still being heard.
So why was the Rationalisation Scheme enacted? For the benefit of speculators? Government's claim that building zone extensions would stop building in the countryside was completely wrong. It has in fact unleashed an avalanche of ODZ applications.
Building up more of Malta means:
- More traffic
- More air pollution
- More vacant, decaying property
- More flooding
- More energy consumption
- Decreasing ability to adapt to climate change
- Less agricultural land
- Less rainwater filling the aquifer - Malta's main water supply
- Less local food production
- Less biodiversity
- Less tourism
- Fewer long-term jobs
It is now time that all citizens of Malta are made aware of the threats to their current way of life, and for them to unite in demanding that the EU intervenes before it is too late, to ensure that our Government fulfils its environmental obligations. To do this, an online petition has been prepared for your convenience. If you agree with the comments and concerns above please click HERE to add your name to the petition that will go to the EU. Do also share this webpage with all those who are likely to be interested.
Other EU citizens have a right to enjoy the benefits of their countryside - SO DO YOU!
Architecture awards set up by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) in conjunction with the University Architecture Department are sensitising tomorrow’s architects to the particular needs of rural and historic areas. “FAA wanted to create something positive that would contribute to the nation so they set up the Julian Manduca Award for sustainable development of rural areas and the Tony Mifsud award for urban conservation projects” explained Sir Martin Laing, opening the award ceremony on behalf of FAA.
Explore the natural habitat, physical geography and social history of a Gozitan. Gozo is an astonishingly green and fertile island, and this programme is designed to enable you to discover why!