Today, the Planning Authority (PA) released the revised Villa Rosa Local Plan, which accommodates the monstrous Tal-Franċiz project, along with a report on the public consultation process.

While we will be issuing a detailed response shortly regarding this obscene Local Plan review – clearly designed to benefit the ultra-rich at the expense of residents and the environment – we must immediately express our shock at the blatant subversion of the democratic process. The PA has listed over 4,000 individuals as having submitted responses in favour of the revision, when in reality, the overwhelming majority opposed it.

Moviment Graffitti facilitated the submission of objections to the PA by providing an online platform through which people could send their representations. Over 3,000 submissions were sent through this form in opposition to the project. The online form had a live counter showing how many people objected and, by the end of the process, 3,047 objections were submitted through it.

Yet, only a handful of these objections are acknowledged in the PA’s documentation. In contrast, the PA lists over 4,000 individuals as having submitted statements of support for the Local Plan review.

Alarmingly, hundreds of individuals who submitted an objection through our online form, are listed as having sent a statement of support to the Villa Rosa review in the list provided by the PA.

It is paramount to note that when the consultation process had just closed — and before the consultation report had been published — the developer publicly claimed that over 4,000 people had supported the project.

How did the developer know this number, when emails were sent directly to the PA, and no submission-tracking system — such as the one provided by Moviment Graffitti — was made available by the developer?

This leaves only two possible explanations: either those with vested interests in the Local Plan revision submitted false data to the PA to fabricate support, or the PA deliberately manipulated their data in collusion with the developer.

We urgently call on the PA to cancel this farcical process and for those responsible for such disgraceful manipulation to be held accountable. Regardless of such desperate actions, nothing can erase the widespread public outrage at the developers’ unchecked power and the Tal-Franċiż monument to greed.

Our voice will not be silenced.

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Il-Moviment Graffitti jikkundanna bil-qawwa l-attentati biex isikktu leħen il-poplu

Illum, l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar (PA) ħarġet ir-reviżjoni tal-Pjan Lokali ta’ Villa Rosa, li jakkomoda l-proġett mostruż ta’ Tal-Franċiz, flimkien ma’ rapport dwar il-proċess ta’ konsultazzjoni pubblika.

Filwaqt li dalwaqt se noħorġu risposta dettaljata rigward din ir-reviżjoni oxxena tal-Pjan Lokali — li b’mod ċar saret biex tibbenefika lil min hu ultrasinjur għad-detriment tar-residenti u l-ambjent — irridu minnufih nesprimu x-xokk tagħna għas-sovverżjoni ċara tal-proċess demokratiku. Il-PA elenkat aktar minn 4,000 persuna bħala li kienu bagħtu risposti favur ir-reviżjoni, meta fil-verità, il-maġġoranza assoluta kienet kontra.

Il-Moviment Graffitti kien iffaċilita l-proċess ta’ sottomissjoni ta’ oġġezzjonijiet lill-PA billi pprovda pjattaforma online li permezz tagħha n-nies setgħu jibagħtu l-emails tagħhom. Aktar minn 3,000 sottomissjoni ntbagħtu permezz ta’ din il-formola kontra l-proġett. Din il-formola online kellha live counter li kien qed juri kemm oġġezzjonaw nies, u sa tmiem il-proċess, kienu ġew sottomessi 3,047 oġġezzjoni permezz tal-formola.

Madanakollu, fid-dokumentazzjoni tal-PA, qed jiġu rikonoxxuti biss ftit għexieren minn dawn is-sottomissjonijiet. B’kuntrast għal dan, il-PA qed telenka aktar minn 4,000 persuna bħala li ssottomew dikjarazzjonijiet favur ir-reviżjoni tal-Pjan Lokali.

B’mod allarmanti għall-aħħar, mijiet ta’ individwi li kienu ssottomettew oġġezzjoni permezz tal-formola online tagħna, ġew imniżżla bħala li bagħtu dikjarazzjoni favur ir-reviżjoni ta’ Villa Rosa fil-lista pprovduta mill-PA.

Huwa importanti li wieħed jinnota li meta l-proċess ta’ konsultazzjoni kien għadu kemm intemm — u qabel ma ġie ppubblikat ir-rapport tal-konsultazzjoni — l-iżviluppatur iddikjarapubblikament li aktar minn 4,000 persuna kienu appoġġjaw il-proġett.

Kif seta’ jkun jaf dan in-numru l-iżviluppatur, meta l-emails intbagħtu direttament lill-PA, u meta ma ġiet ipprovduta ebda sistema ta’ traċċar tas-sottomissjonijiet — bħal dik offruta minn Moviment Graffitti — mill-iżviluppatur?

Dan jista’ jiġi spjegat b’żewġ modi possibbli biss: jew dawk li għandhom interessi diretti fir-reviżjoni tal-Pjan Lokali ssottomew dejta falza lill-PA biex jiffabbrikaw l-appoġġ — jew inkella l-PA qiegħda deliberatament timmanipula d-dejta tagħha f’kollużjoni mal-iżviluppatur.

Nappellaw b’urġenza lill-PA biex tħassar dan il-proċess farsa u biex dawk responsabbli għal din il-manipulazzjoni tal-mistħija jinżammu responsabbli. Minkejja dawn l-azzjonijiet ddisprati, xejn ma jista’ jħassar ir-rabja kbira tal-poplu kontra l-poter bla kontroll tal-iżviluppaturi u l-monument tar-regħba ta’ Tal-Franċiż.

Il-vuċi tagħna mhux se tiġi msikkta.