RAMBLERS REBUT VICTOR SCERRI'S ALLEGATIONS ON XARABANK

RAMBLERS REBUT VICTOR SCERRI'S ALLEGATIONS ON XARABANK

The Ramblers’ Association of Malta (RAM) was vindicated in its decision not to participate in Friday’s edition of Xarabank ‘Rizenji politici’. Peppi Azzopardi was informed that the Association is apolitical and will not be led into political issues. However RAM is disappointed that Peppi Azzopardi did not explain clearly the reasons why RAM did not participate. He failed to make any reference to our last letter dated 30 November. Nor was this letter uploaded on the Xarabank site as Mr Azzopardi announced. At best this is unprofessional journalism, at worst downright dishonesty.

As expected, Dr Scerri and Mr Musumeci immediately hijacked the Xarabank discussion to a political debate arena, with a selected audience put on to boot. The environment does not belong to any party and should stand aloof from politics. How pathetic to see people clapping on hearing statements by Dr Scerri of the type “With my land I do what I want.” Such programmes do not make for serious discussions on environmental themes. The high protection afforded to the site at Bahrija by Mepa itself, and the environmental outrage being committed there, were hardly ever mentioned.

What came out loud and clear from the programme is the immoral fibre of the protagonist, Dr Victor Scerri. His personal insinuations against Mr Lino Bugeja, the RAM president, were as dishonest and deceitful as his infamous Bahrija application, in the name of his wife, “to reconstruct the existing structures with very minor alterations to facilitate use.”

Dr Scerri was equally dishonest in stating half-truths: He states that Lino Bugeja owns a parcel of land, but leaves out the fact that Lino Bugeja owns only one quarter of it measuring half a tumolo. He states that Lino Bugeja purchased the land in ODZ but leaves out the fact that the land was purchased over 40 years ago. Dr Scerri was malicious not to say that in all these years Lino Bugeja never ever put in a development application with Mepa because he accepted, and still accepts, that his land was ODZ. Being an honest citizen Lino Bugeja abided by the laws of the land.

Not so Dr Scerri, who wittingly purchased land with an uninhabitable structure in a protected area only 10 years ago; his sole purpose was to erect a villa in ODZ, in scheduled and protected ODZ; he commissioned fellow Nationalist architect to work round the laws of the land, flouting them professionally; he then went about with works without respect for the protected ambience of the place and with flagrant disregard to the Method Statement that Mepa imposed on the site. It must be added that the Mepa boards were always ever so kind and obliging.

There is much more to be said. To rebut all the incorrect statements and half truths made during the programme would take more space than this paper can afford, so RAM leaves it with readers to determine who is being dishonest.

RAM invites those who wish to learn more of the whole truth on this and other issues concerning Malta’s built and natural environment, to attend the Public Forum being organised by five NGOs at the Ballroom of the Hotel Phoenicia next Saturday, 12th December at 10.00am.

Alex Vella

Hon Secretary

Ghar il-Kbir Walk 6th Dec 2009

Duration: About 2 1/2 hours

Walk Leader: Romano

Some photos below

Clapham Junction

Alfred Moore explaining the cart ruts

Punic tomb

Ghar il-Kbir

Roman Quarry

Qala development

From the Times

Wednesday, 2nd December 2009 - 17:02CET

NGOs insist 'green element' should have prevailed in Qala development considerations

Environment NGOs this afternoon kept up their pressure against the granting of a permit for a development on Qala Ridge, insisting that where policies were contradictory, Mepa should have taken a position which was least harmful to the environment.

The Ramblers' Association, Flimkien Ghal-Ambjent Ahjar, Nature Trust and representatives of Qala council said at a press conference outside the Mepa offices in Floriana that the case over the redevelopment of the Xerri l-Bukkett restaurant was characterised by conflicting Mepa policies.

Architect Anthony Fenech Vella, speaking for the groups, insisted that the 'green element' should have prevailed in such circumstances, especially in Gozo, which had been declared as being an eco-island.

He said this site had been listed as a rural settlement and also a belvedere. And while one policy said building should not exceed two floors without a basement the ridge edge development policy allowed a basement and three floors.

Astrid Vella, speaking for the FAA, argued that in cases such as this, where a development permit was referred to appeal, building works should be stopped until a final decision was taken.

The NGOs also said they were considering holding a national protest next month over the state of the environment.

"Winery" at Tas-Salib

From the Times

Tuesday, 1st December 2009 - 08:42CET

Ramblers concerned over building in ODZ

The Ramblers' Association in a statement has drawn attention to the building of a winery on virgin land at Tas-Salib, near Rabat.

"This application for a winery was accepted by MEPA on 3rd March 2008. The photo shows the resultant building. This development was allowed on completely virgin land in an ODZ area. It is an example of the constructions that MEPA are allowing on pristine countryside." the NGO said.

He does not walk alone

From the Times of Malta, Friday, 27th November 2009

By Lino Bugeja

Mepa was undoubtedly conceived with the best of intentions at a period in history notable for its insensitivity to the natural environment. But has this gigantic institution with a professional staff running into hundreds as well as having the benefits of private consultants lived up to its raison d'être by giving the Maltese citizens a better quality of life?

With such resources at its disposal, Mepa can easily rule the roost riding roughshod over the minnows in the environmental spheres whose limited human resources have been stretched to the limit, exhausted and demoralised as one false dawn follows another. Far from witnessing an improvement in our countryside and coastal zones, we are suddenly facing a marked accelerated deterioration in the state of our natural environment.

Our only hope to get us out of this misery is the Mepa audit officer, Joseph Falzon, who has all along consistently striven to give meaning and substance to the much vaunted political catch-calls: "An ODZ is an ODZ" and "Zero tolerance to the Environment". Regrettably, instead of earning the plaudits of the state, for, after all, it is the state that is the guardian of the Constitution, this honest humble man has been subjected to attempts at publicly vilifying and shaming him. But I assure Mr Falzon that he does not walk alone and we join the chorus of voices who have shouted loud and clear in his support.

The Ramblers' Association of Malta expresses its solidarity with Mr Falzon in the face of a spate of accusations against him as a result of his disagreeing with a magistrate's ruling over a legal provision, which, it should be obvious to all by now, is of doubtful interpretation. After all, it appears that Mr Falzon had received legal advice that did not tally with that of Mepa's. Should we now conclude that in future all magistrates' rulings are to be considered infallible and indisputable?

If Mr Falzon has erred, and in our opinion he hasn't, it was definitely on the side of integrity and transparency. This unassuming gentleman fully deserves our appreciation and complete trust. Surely, he should be treated with more respect by all, particularly by those in authority. Mr Falzon is a beacon of light in the dark corridors of Mepa, groping his way to plug the legal loopholes that can present an easy way out to developers. In my view, Mr Falzon strives, against all odds, to ensure a level playing field, one that is not heavily tilted against amateur sides.

Echoes of the Mistra case still reverberate among those involved in the Mepa reform. In fact, a proposed clause stipulates that "Negotiations between the applicant and the DCC will be forbidden; the applicant's role is to be limited to presenting the proposed development or to provide clarification if so required by the DCC".

It seems to us that this will not make the problem go away. It speaks specifically of the DCC, so someone will persist in interpreting this as referring to the whole DCC board. Nothing to forbid "individual members" of the board to carry out "negotiations" with applicants and architects during "meetings" called by the liaison/complaints officer to "iron out difficulties". This is a practice with which we do not agree because it gives rise to doubts and suspicions as well as an unfair advantage by the very fact they are not minuted.

What should by now be clear to everybody is that the law is crying out loud for a change. Different interpretations have been given by different legal minds. This change has to be accompanied by another clause stipulating very clearly the procedure to be followed in the "meetings" called by the liaison officer/complaints officer to settle differences between the applicants and their architects and the directorates as well as those who should be invited to participate in these meetings. In our view, members of the DCC should be excluded.
We strongly believe that these changes should be made because the practice of meeting with DCC members as has been happening in these last years should not be allowed because they are wrong. This, we believe, is the spirit of the law.

The Ramblers' Association wants to declare its appreciation of Mr Falzon's steadfastness in these hard and difficult times and augurs that the public continues to enjoy his valued protection for several years to come.

Mr Bugeja is president of the Ramblers' Association.

Gozo Nov 22nd 2009 Walk

Sunday 22nd November Nadur to Ramla walk

Walk Leader: Dr Mario Saliba

Some photos below

Gozo Nov 21st Nov 2009 Part 1

Saturday 21st Nov 2009 Walks.

Walk leaders:

Morning John Mizzi,

Afernoon: Romano