PA ‘responsible for choking Luqa green lung’- FAA

The Planning Authority “is responsible for choking Luqa’s last green lung as hundreds of apartments are being approved through piecemeal applications on the only tract of open space near the village core and the Luqa Primary school,” environmental NGO Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) said.

“The mass concretisation of this virgin land started in 2016 through the proposal of a large scale development covering 8,700sqm being processed through 5 separate planning applications. FAA had warned that the splitting of the development was clearly an attempt to evade screening for an Environmental Impact Assessment, and to negate the developer from having to provide open space as would have been necessary had the development been processed as a whole.

“Three of the five applications were immediately withdrawn, due to what the developer insisted were economic factors. FAA warned that the developer would likely apply for the other sites to be developed in time and that it was necessary for the Board to insist that if such applications were submitted, the PA must consider them as part of the whole development and not allow abusive salami-slicing of the site that would enable the area to be developed without an environmental assessment being carried out, or any public open space being provided.”

FAA said the warnings fell on deaf ears, with the Planning Board approving the two applications without imposing any conditions for the provision of open space or the sustainable development of the adjacent sites.

“Now barely a year later, new developments on the surrounding sites are being approved through piecemeal applications with no provisions for even a square inch of open space, as FAA had warned.

“The land offered a unique opportunity to design and plan for open space and public amenities that would have complemented the new residential area. Instead, as a result of the PA’s outright refusal to consider holistic planning, and to shoulder responsibility for the shaping of our towns, this last bit of grass will be tarmacked over with no considerations for facilities, green areas or open space that would have made it a sustainable and attractive location offering both existing and new residents a decent quality of life. The once green lung will be transformed into monotonous over-built streets void of character and a sense of place, all with the PA’s approval,” the eNGO said.