Il-Milied u s-Sena t-Tajba lil kulhadd

Minn qalbi nixtieqlek il-Milied it-Tajjeb u Sena Gdida mimlija risq u hena.

RALPH

Government’s construction frenzy

Author: Ralph Cassar, local councillor AD, Attard

The repercussions of the rezoning of areas all over Malta, allowing blocks with “semi-basements” and penthouses to be built all over the place, including Attard, by the Nationalist government, are still being felt.

The construction frenzy this has brought about means that areas which had settled down after decades of construction activity have once again been turned into construction sites. It means that local councils cannot keep up with the broken pavements, increased traffic and broken roads.

People are being buried in their own homes: deprived of sunlight and sandwiched between blocks of flats in areas which were previously two-storey areas.

What surprises me is the impression Nationalist politicians give people.

They speak as if these rules appeared out of thin air; that it is all Mepa’s doing. The facts are clear: All this is happening because Mepa and various other planning commissions are following rules, regulations and plans approved in 2006 by Minister George Pullicino and presumably discussed at Cabinet level including with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. The responsibility lies squarely on the Nationalist government. But something can be done.

I urge those who wish to propose changes to the Central Malta Local Plan to pass on their suggestions to me on e-mail racas@waldonet.net.mt so that I can present them to the Attard local council and eventually Mepa for consideration. Any revision of Local Plans has to be approved by the minister in charge, currently the Prime Minister.

H’Attard: Dan x’zvilupp hu!?

H’Attard: Konferenza stampa mill-Kunsill, originally uploaded by Alternattiva Demokratika.

Hemm bzonn revizjoni tal-Pjan Lokali ta’ Malta Centrali. Il-pjan kif inhu bhalissa qed johloq problemi kbar.

Wara li saret il-konsultazzjoni dwar l-abbozzi tal-Pjanijiet Lokali lura fis-sena 2000, kien hemm xi zidiet mal-pjan li bihom inbiddlu l-affarijiet b’mod sostanzjali. Ewlenin fost dawn iz-zidiet kien hemm tibdil fl-gholi tal-bini – ‘rezoning’. Il-Pjan Lokali ta’ Malta Centrali (li jinkludi H’Attard) gie fis-sehh fl-2006 wara li approvah il-Ministru inkarigat, li dak iz-zmien kien George Pullicino. Nimmagina li l-Ministru kien approva l-pjan bil-barka tal-kabinett. L-Ufficjal tal-Verifika tal-MEPA ikkonkluda li ma kienx hemm konsultazzjoni adegwata fuq it-tibdil fiz-zoni fejn ikun permess bini gholi. L-Ombudsman fl-2007 talab biex il-process tal-konsultazzjoni ikun aktar car u li ghandu jkun hemm perjodu xieraq ta’ konsultazzjoni meta jkun hemm tibdiliet sostanzjali dan it-tibdil kien jirrikjedi konsultazzjoni precizament fuq it-tibdiliet. (rif: http://www.ombudsman.org.mt/index.asp?pg=CL_Apr07)

Huwa sostenibbli li minn dar jew tnejn li fihom kienu joqghodu massimu ta’ 8 persuni jinbnew postijiet fuq l-istess art li b’xi mod jiddeffsu fihom 40 persuna?

Huwa sostenibbli li jinbnew binjiet li jissejjhu ta’ tlett sulari imma fil-fatt ikunu jinkludi ‘semi-basement’ u ‘penthouse’? Dawn it-tip ta’ binjiet ifissru li anke min jghix fihom ma jkollux access ghal bejt jew spazju fejn jinstalla imqar ‘solar water heater’. Kif nistghu nhajjru n-nies jinvestu f’apparat li jghinhom inaqqsu l-uzu ta’ l-elettriku meta qed jigi permess dan it-tip ta’ bini? Dan biex ma nsemmix il-girien li jispiccaw f’dell perpetwu minhabba l-gholi tal-bini ta’ hdejhom. Is-‘semi-basement’ ifisser ukoll li ma jithaffirx bir – bil-konsegwenza li jew l-ilma nadif tax-xita jintrema fid-dranagg jew jispicca fit-toroq. L-istat tat-toroq meta taghmel naqra xita kulhadd jafhom. Minflok intaffu l-problema billi nigbru l-ilma tax-xita ghandna sitwazzjoni fejn jigu permessi binjiet li ma jkollhomx possibilta ghal bir. Il-politika tal-‘penthouses’ u s-‘semi-basements’ ghandha tigi riveduta mill-aktar fis possibbli.

Dan it-tip ta’ zvilupp intensiv m’hemmx htiega ghalih. Qed jolqot lil girien u l-lokalita taghna b’mod negattiv u johloq pressjoni kbira fuq l-infrastruttura.

Nitlob li process ta’ konsultazzjoni ghandu jibda malajr kemm jista’ jkun. Nappella lill-Prim Ministru bhala l-Ministru inkarigat biex ma jirrepetix l-izball li sar fl-2006 meta gew approvati pjanijiet lokali li huma fl-interess tal-ftit u mhux fl-interess tal-komunita. Nappellalu jisma’ mir-residenti u jilqa’ t-talba ghal revizjoni fil-pjan lokali. Il-pjanijiet lokali kif approvati mill-Ministru fl-2006 m’humiex iharsu l-interessi tar-residenti u l-principji ta’ zvilupp sostenibbli.

Nappella lir-residenti jaghmlu s-sottomisjonijiet taghhom. Huwa biss bil-partecipazzjoni taghhom li nistghu naslu ghal xi tip ta’ soluzzjoni fl-interess tal-komunita ta’ Ħ’Attard.

Ralph Cassar
Kunsillier Ħ’Attard (AD – The Green Party)

REVIZJONI TAL-PJAN LOKALI – NWAQQFU L-IZVILUPP ESAGERAT

Il-Kunsill Lokali ta’ H’Attard qed isejjah konferenza stampa flimkien ma’ residenti ta’ H’Attard dwar ZVILUPP ESAGERAT f’H’Attard.

Il-Kunsill se jitlob li ssir revizjoni tal-Pjan Lokali ta’ Malta Centrali

DATA: Is-Sibt 13 ta’ Dicembru (13/12/2008)
POST: Triq Mario Cortis, H’Attard (niltaqghu vicin il-Cafeteria Santa Lucia)
HIN: 1100h (11am)

Ralph Cassar
Kunsillier
f’isem il-Kunsilliera ta’ H’Attard

Nota: Sadanittant inheggek tibghatli l-opinjoni tieghek ghal revizjoni tal-Pjan Lokali Malta Centrali (li jinstab fil-website www.mepa.org.mt) biex inkun nista’ nressaqha ufficjalment lill-Kunsill Lokali ta’ H’Attard u eventwalment lill-MEPA. Tista’ tikkuntattjani fuq racas@waldonet.net.mt jew ralph.cassar@alternattiva.org.mt

Dejjem tieghek,

RALPH CASSAR