12 June 2007 Rating 86% No Comment  

"The decision taken by the M.E.P.A. board on Wednesday 6th June 2007 regarding application PA 07902/05 will cause irreparable damage if such development is constructed and it will violate legally several MEPA planning policies protecting this kind of environment, Roman ruins, archaeological sites and unique sand dunes that support an indigenous eco-system not found elsewhere on Gozo or Malta, will be destroyed. The area is so sensitive that it is currently listed as a protected area under a UNESCO project and is also a candidate for Natura 2000 designation. Not only is the natural beauty of the area legally protected but the old Ulysses Lodge covers part of the site of an old Roman Villa discovered around 1912 about which a local historian has written extensively in an attempt to get the government to excavate and preserve it. New roads will have to be built to reach it and one plan is to substitute the old Roman Road with a new one. Yet, apparently approval has not been sought from Public Works or the Museums Department. The development will violate Policy RCO 4 and Policies Ben1 and Ben 2 because it will adversely affect - disrupt -- the scenic value of the area. Because of its proposed size, it will dominate and disrupt its surroundings. It will light up the night sky, the dark of which is now a great attraction for stargazers because little artificial light interferes with the light of the stars in the dark of the night. The project will block a public access to Ramla Bay. Besides, this proposed construction would quite probably breach EU Environment legislation, particularly the EU Habitats directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. Beyond all that, the proposed development is substantially larger than the current structures. Wistfully, the Xaghra residents hoped that those structures, known as the Ulysses Lodge, built overtop the old Roman Villa, would someday be demolished, never to be replaced again and that the glorious Roman Villa would be properly excavated and exhibited. Hope springs eternal! Finally, this area is in an Outside Development Zone; the developers got the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) waived; and the project is partly guided by a MEPA Board member, Louis Cassar. The Xaghra Local Council is hereby requesting the unconditional revocation of the decision taken last Wednesday 6th June."