Mediator offers to help with Ta’ Cenc controversy
- Prime Minister gave his backing to the Pullicino Ta’ Cenc letter
- Din l-Art Helwa wants more protection for Ta Cenc
- Minister draws line on Ta’ Cenc bungalow plans
- Proposed development at Ta’ Cenc is unacceptable – BirdLife
- New objection period for the Ta’ Cenc project
- Ta’ Cenc controversy continues – new development application
- Birdlife warns against complacency on Ta’ Cenc development
- BirdLife Malta demands Ta’ Cenc developer reveal his new plans to the public
- Ramla development shelved by the government
- Gharb Residents Association hold protest meeting
- AD questions MLP’s fixations on golf courses and marinas
- Alternattiva Demokratika Welcomes NGO’s Stand on Ta’ Cenc
- Enlightened decision saves Ta’ Cenc – Alternattiva Demokratika
- Hondoq ir-Rummien development plan proposal
- Latest Ta’ Cenc proposals – Din l-Art Helwa and Nature Trust
A Maltese mediator living in London wants to try to find “a route to a resolution” in the dispute between environmentalists and hotelier Victor Borg over the proposed Ta’ Cenc development.
She may be a little late since a large chunk of the proposal, 57 bungalows in the area overlooking Mgarr ix-Xini, was effectively ruled out by Environment Minister George Pullicino, when he recently wrote to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority Board giving his interpretation of the policy affecting the area.
However, NGOs, whilst approving the government’s move, said in their reaction that they still have issues with what is left of the proposed development.
Maria Arpa, who owns a house in Munxar but runs the Centre for Peaceful Solutions in the UK, where she lives, says she would like the opportunity to mediate between NGOs and the developer.
The man behind the proposal, hotelier Victor Borg, accepted immediately, she said. However, Din l-Art Helwa’s executive chairman Martin Galea said he was not aware of the proposal. Now, Ms Arpa says, she will contact the chairman directly.
Mr Galea, has, however, poured cold water over the proposal: “I don’t really see what’s negotiable, we just want the Structure Plan to be respected. Having said that, we met Mr Borg in the past along with other NGOs, so we don’t have a problem on that front.”
When asked how she could expect to reconcile such different interests, Ms Arpa, who is also a Reiki Master, a practitioner of an oriental natural healing practice, said she is used to dealing with people who cannot see eye to eye.
Her idea is to have a team of senior mediators fly to Gozo to “facilitate conversations” between Mr Borg, the NGOs, the community and Mepa.
When it comes to compensation, she says that the team would not be expecting full payment, “but would need to have our out of pocket expenses covered and some consideration made for our time away from paid work.
“I hope that somewhere within the government or from European money, funding could be found to cover this but we’ll get to that later.”
Loading ...