Welcome
FAA (Together for a Better Environment) 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.
06.05.2010 - LANDMARK DECISION BY MEPA BOARD ON APPLICATION IN MAGHTAB
Public Interest precedes 2007 outline development permit
In a landmark decision earlier today, the MEPA Board unanimously refused to give a full development permit for an application which in August 2007 was granted an outline permit. The proposed development, which includes the demolition of a disused rabbit farm and the construction of industrial premises, was deemed by the MEPA Board to go against the public interest, as the development was not respecting the planning policies for this site.
The Planning directorate recommended this full development application for approval given that in August 2007, the Mepa Board had already agreed in principle with this development and granted an outline permit.
The site which is within the Rural Conservation Area of Maghtab, is predominantly made up of agricultural land and farm buildings.
Mepa Chairman Mr Austin Walker said ‘While we respect the decisions taken by previous Boards, the Board takes decisions based on today’s planning policies and on the principle of sustainable development while making sure that permits are granted in the public interest.’
The Mepa Board today also gave the green light to the master plan that seeks planning consent for the proposed development of a new campus and sports facilities for MCAST in Paola. The outline permit for this Master plan includes the development of a number of multi-discipline blocks, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, parking areas and open landscaping.
The Master plan, which covers a floor area of approximately 150,000 sq meters, will include the installation of a bridge across Corradino Hill which will link the MCAST educational complex with the Gaddafi Gardens on the opposite side. To address the Air Quality problem in the area and tackle the traffic impact this development will cause, the Plan has included a Green Transport Plan which effectively introduce and implement a number of green travel initiatives.
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!