Government failed to adequately communicate Sta Lucija plans to public – environmentalists

The Save Sta Lucija Open Spaces Network has appealed to the government to modify the tal-Barrani Tunnel entrance proposal, also arguing that the government had not adequately communicated its plans to the public.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Ian Borg yesterday confirmed that the plans and the number of trees being uprooted as part of the Santa Lucija underpass project were not discussed at Cabinet level, saying simply that, “Cabinet does not discuss permits”.

The Network underlined its agreement with Borg on the need for sustainable measures to alleviate the traffic congestion on Tal-Barrani Road.

”These are also needed so that Sta Lucija residents will no longer be blocked at TalBarrani exits and so that the Sta Lucija ring road will no longer be congested by traffic trying to skip the Tal-Barrani traffic jams.”

The Network is only asking the authorities to modify the design of the Tal-Barrani underpass so that the Sta Lucija green belt running alongside Tal-Barrani Road would not be lost for ever.

“It appears that Minister Borg has not been adequately informed about objections received to the Tal-Barrani Tunnel Development Application. In fact more than a thousand people registered their objection through an online petition with the Planning Authority. Flimkien Ghal-Ambjent Ahjar, had also registered a meticulous objection on behalf of its members.

“Many more persons would have registered an objection had they not been misled about what the Tal-Barrani Tunnel design entailed. It must be noted that the Tal-Barrani tunnel planning application was submitted at a time when the general public, especially the residents of Sta Lucija, Tarxien and Paola, were led to believe by central and local government that the St Lucija Jogging Track area was there to stay.”

On 21st May 2017, government representatives, together with the Santa Lucija local council and Sports Malta officials, inaugurated the new Sta Lucija jogging track and an upgraded open-air gym at the Santa Lucija woodland running alongside Tal-Barrani Road.

“Numerous personalities were present at the inauguration of the jogging track. Amongst them were Santa Lucija local council members, then Parliamentary Sec. for Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organisations Chris Agius, Chairman of the Consultative Committee for the South of Malta Silvio Parnis, Minister Konrad Mizzi, and Chairman of Sport Malta Luciano Busuttil.”

When the planning application for the Tal-Barrani Underpass was submitted on 2nd October 2017, many people imagined it would require the unfortunate removal of ficus trees in Tal-Barrani Road, and possibly of the trees at the Sta Lucija roundabout, the group said.

“But they never imagined that the application was proposing to destroy a huge part of the woodland surrounding the jogging track inaugurated a mere four and a half months earlier by the government for the cost of €90,000.

“Nor did the Sta Lucija local council do anything to dispel their residents’ misperception. Despite being informed and consulted upon this application by the Planning Authority, the Santa Lucija council chose not to disseminate any information about this application to its residents. The council also refrained from holding a public consultation about this planning application, despite being legally empowered to do so if it chose to. No plans illustrating what was being proposed for the woodland were fixed in any of the Local Council display windows.

“Given this scenario, many persons did not object to Infrastructure Malta’s plans for the jogging track woodland - not through their own failing - but because they did not know the full facts about the application in question.”

The huge public outcry of shock at seeing trees around the jogging track starting to be uprooted reflects the local and central government’s failure to communicate adequately with the public about what Infrastructure Malta was planning to do, the Network said.

The Network calls on Government to make an exception and modify the TalBarrani Tunnel entrance so that the Sta Lucija woodland would remain for posterity.

“Not only because in fact there were over a thousand objections to the application, nor because certain government action misled residents of neighbouring towns, but most fundamentally to protect the health of Malta’s people, including the health of over 600 children attending school opposite the Sta Lucija woodland. Such a win-win outcome is what we all need.”