More encroachment in Mosta Valley

Abstract

A planning application submitted in 2005 proposing the cons-truction of 24 apartments and 26 garages along Constitution Street, Mosta, and bordering Wied 1-lsperanza was approved on January 20. It was originally refused by Mepa's Development Control Commission in 2007. In 2004, a permit had been issued to construct an old people's home on the site. However, due to vehement opposition the plans were never implemented. At the time, the areas of land where development could take place had not yet been revised and the site in question was classified entirely as Outside Development Zone (ODZ). The latest application seems to fall, at least partly, within the revised development schemes. I stress 'at least partly', since the Mepa mapserver suggests that the site's rear end encroaches onto land classified as ODZ. According to the Central Malta Local Plan (CMLP), the priority issues for Mosta are the "potential to develop a heritage trail and valley walkway along Wied ii-Giiasel and the Victoria Lines together with a district level recreational area" and the "need to safeguard spaces for recreational use". By further encroaching on the Wied 1-lsperanza stretch of Wied 1-Giiasel valley, its value for recreational use is further undermined since this approval is further hemming this stretch of the valley into a mere sliver of greenery snaking its way through urban areas.