‘Flimkien Ghall-Ambjent Ahjar’ (FAA) has been contacted by concerned members of the general public regarding the go-ahead given for the uprooting and consequential destruction of four beautiful old Aleppo Pines at Mdina Road Attard.
Since Aleppo (Znuber) trees are included in MEPA’s list of Strictly Protected trees only the Minister for Rural Affairs & the Environment’s go-ahead (this time as minister responsible for agriculture) could have waived the trees' protection due to a legal loophole dating back to GN328 of 1949 which overrides any MEPA protection.
The permit was requested on Friday and granted just two working days later when the law states that a three-week notice must be posted from issuing of permit. The trees were uprooted on Tuesday morning and dumped to one side of the road. It has to be noted that the trees were located on public land and the applicant for the permit was none other than the developer of a petrol station which is yet to be built on ODZ land as an appeal against his development permit has been lodged.
1. FAA notes with concern that the removal of trees in a nonchalant manner is now becoming the norm and no new exercise in tree-planting – which is always welcome – can make up for this, nor hide the fact that certain decisions are being taken against environmental and public interest and in defiance of expert advice.
2. FAA would like to ask whether the decision taken to remove the trees was aimed at facilitating access from both sides of the road to a new petrol station being opened in the area in question. If this is the case, then one cannot but express dismay at the prospect of placing such commercial interests before the interests of what little green heritage we may still have on our Islands.
3. Even if, as is claimed, the uprooting formed part of traffic management plans, it is a fact that in any other EU country these changes would have been planned in such a way to accommodate such old trees. This incident closely follows other developments which have impacted trees – which are a very precious commodity in Malta and Gozo. Foremost example of the insensitivity towards this issue is the proposed project for the Auberge de Castile area and the works carried out in the Mixtla ta’ Bormla.
4. The environmental compensation requested by Mepa in this case shall mainly take the form of landscaping of the petrol station itself which does not benefit society but rather the same commercial entity.
FAA would also like to ask whether all private commercial interests will benefit from this seeming policy of use of public land befitting European Malta – rather than a select few being given an unfair competitive advantage?
5. FAA also points out that the issuing of the permit to the petrol station in question is still being appealed. Here FAA cannot but express its concern at the granting of a permit for the felling of a ‘strictly protected’ tree alongside the petrol station while the permit is under appeal. Such actions makes society question the whole Appeals process. One must here remember that members of the Planning Appeals Board are appointed by the same Minister responsible for MEPA and Agriculture and therefore, position of these Planning Appeals Board members are now jeopardised and the Appeals Board process rendered unsustainable.
In conclusion, FAA invites all interested parties to express their concerns and exert pressure so that a sensible approach to this and similar issues and the environment in general is adopted by all decision-makers. FAA notes that words are not enough any more as what is needed is firm action to not only repay society for any damage caused but also to ensure full accountability of the officers and developers concerned.
It is in this light that FAA appeals publicly to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to state publicly and clearly their firm position on these issues and what corrective actions shall be taken and by when in order to ensure that fairness, transparency and sensitivity are restored to the entire development scenario.
European Malta and our children were promised an improvement on the old Maltese habits and all of us citizens, voters and taxpayers deserve much better.