A group of seven organisations filed a lawsuit against the Planning Authority (PA) after its failure to withdraw the flawed Jerma Development Brief.
The seven organisations had sent a judicial protest to the Planning Authority (PA) last May for holding a vitiated and irregular consultation procedure with regards to the Development Brief for the site of the former Jerma Palace Hotel in Marsascala. Although the Local Plan defines the area which should be subject to the Development Brief (with the area also being defined in three maps), the PA chose to include further areas in the Development Brief exercise. It included a green area which should be accessible to the public and where no increase in height or volume is permitted, as well as a heritage site for which there is already a policy applicable. Moreover, an area of 100,000 square metres which should be developed within the site was arbitrarily laid down.
In view of the fact that the consultation exercise was not in line with the applicable laws and policies, the organisations had given ten days to the Authority to withdraw the flawed Jerma Development Brief. Since the Planning Authority failed to do so, the organisations had no other option but to open a lawsuit against the PA.
If the defective Development Brief proposed by the PA goes ahead, it would lead to a massive development project that impacts negatively the infrastructure of Marsascala and the lives of residents, with no long-term benefit to the locality.
The organisations filing the lawsuit are:
1. Din l-Art Ħelwa
2. Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
3. Green House
4. Moviment Graffitti
5. Nature Trust Malta
6. Ramblers Association of Malta
7. The Archaeological Society of Malta
_______________________________________________________________
Għaqdiet itellgħu lill-PA il-Qorti dwar l-irregolaritajiet fid-Development Brief għall-Jerma
Grupp ta’ seba’ għaqdiet fetħu kawża kontra l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar (PA) wara li din naqset milli tirtira d-Development Brief difettuż għas-sit tal-Jerma.
Is-seba’ għaqdiet kienu ippreżentaw protest ġudizzjarju lill-PA f’Mejju li għadda talli implimentat proċedura ta’ konsultazzjoni mtappna bl-irregolaritajiet fir-rigward tad-Development Brief għas-sit li qabel kien okkupat mill-Jerma Palace Hotel f’Wied il-Għajn. Filwaqt li l-Pjan Lokali jimmarka l-limiti taż-żona li għandha tkun soġġetta għad-Development Brief (u ż-żona hija wkoll iddemarkata fi tliet mapep), fl-eżerċizzju tad-Development Brief il-PA iddeċidiet li tinkludi aktar żoni minn dawk delineati fil-Pjan Lokali. Din żiedet żona ekoloġika li għandha tkun aċċessibbli għall-pubbliku u fejn mhija permessa l-ebda żieda fl-għoli jew fil-volum tal-bini, kif ukoll sit ta’ patrimonju storiku li għalih diġà teżisti policy. Barra minn hekk, il-PA b’mod arbitrarju għall-aħħar speċifikat żona ta’ 100,000 metru kwadru li għandha tiġi żviluppata fi ħdan is-sit.
Minħabba l-fatt li dan l-eżerċizzju ta’ konsultazzjoni ma kienx konformi mal-liġijiet u l-policies applikabbli, l-għaqdiet taw għaxar t’ijiem lill-Awtorità sabiex tirtira l-eżerċizzju difettuż tal-Jerma Development Brief. Wara li l-PA naqset milli tagħmel dan, l-għaqdiet ma kellhom ebda għażla oħra ħlief li jiftħu kawża l-Qorti kontra l-PA.
Kieku id-Development Brief difettuż propost mill-PA kellu jgħaddi, dan ser jwassal għal proġett ta’ żvilupp massiv li jħalli impatt negattiv fuq l-infrastruttura ta’ Marsaskala u l-ħajja tar-residenti, mingħajr ebda benefiċċju fit-tul għal-lokalità.
L-għaqdiet li fetħu l-kawża huma:
1. Din l-Art Ħelwa
2. Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
3. Green House
4. Moviment Graffitti
5. Nature Trust Malta
6. Ramblers Association of Malta
7. The Archaeological Society of Malta
