On Friday, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) is set to decide whether to grant Hili Group permission to remove hundreds of trees from the Comino nature reserve, as well as issue the go-ahead required for the commencement of construction works.

ERA had already issued this permit in February this year (EP 1472/22). However, following our appeal before the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT), the permit was revoked after the Tribunal found that the proper procedure had not been followed: the permit had been issued in secrecy, without any opportunity for public participation.

The decision that ERA is due to take once again on Friday is directly linked to the Planning Authority (PA) permit for Hili Group’s development of 16 villas, 44 swimming pools and a 140-room hotel (PA/04777/20). This permit for an intensive construction project on a highly protected nature reserve, which would irreversibly damage Comino as we know it, is currently the subject of a legal challenge by several NGOs. In May, the Court upheld one of the NGOs’ main arguments and referred the case back to the Tribunal for reconsideration after finding irregularities in the way it had confirmed the permit.

It would be absurd for ERA – the very authority entrusted with protecting Malta’s environment – to approve the removal of hundreds of trees and authorise construction works on the basis of a PA permit that is still being legally contested and is therefore far from definitive.

We call on ERA to refuse this permit and to consider it only once a final decision has been reached on the PA permit for Hili Group’s proposed villas and hotel on Comino.

Anything less would mean that ERA is irresponsibly and illogically permitting the widespread destruction of Comino before it is even certain that the underlying development has been lawfully approved. Such a decision would demonstrate that, rather than fulfilling its duty to protect the environment, ERA is choosing to facilitate the interests of powerful developers.

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800 siġra se jiġu mqaċċta fuq Kemmuna jekk tgħaddi tal-ERA

Nhar il-Ġimgħa, l-Awtorità għall-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi (ERA) hija mistennija tiddeċiedi jekk toħroġx il-permess lill-Hili Group biex iqaċċtu mijiet ta’ siġar mir-riżerva naturali ta’ Kemmuna, kif ukoll toħroġ il-permess meħtieġ biex jinbdew ix-xogħlijiet ta’ kostruzzjoni.

L-ERA diġà kienet ħarġet dan il-permess fi Frar ta’ din is-sena (EP 1472/22). Iżda, wara li aħna ftaħna appell quddiem it-Tribunal ta’ Reviżjoni tal-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar (EPRT), il-permess ġie rrevokat wara li t-Tribunal sab li ma kinetx ġiet segwita l-proċedura xierqa: il-permess kien inħareġ bil-moħbi, mingħajr l-ebda opportunità għall-pubbliku biex jipparteċipa.

Id-deċiżjoni li l-ERA hija mistennija terġa’ tieħu nhar il-Ġimgħa hija marbuta direttament mal-permess tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar (PA) għall-iżvilupp minn Hili Group ta’ 16-il villa, 44 pixxina u lukanda ta’ 140 kamra (PA/04777/20). Dan il-permess għal proġett ta’ kostruzzjoni intensiva fuq riżerva naturali li tgawdi livell għoli ta’ protezzjoni, u li se jagħmel ħsara irriversibbli lil Kemmuna kif nafuha llum, bħalissa qed jiġi kkontestat legalment minn diversi NGOs. F’Mejju, il-Qorti laqgħet wieħed mill-argumenti ewlenin tal-NGOs u rreferiet il-każ lura lit-Tribunal għal rikonsiderazzjoni wara li sabet irregolaritajiet fil-mod kif dan kien ikkonferma l-permess.

Ikun assurd għall-ERA – l-istess awtorità fdata bil-ħarsien tal-ambjent ta’ Malta – li tapprova t-tqaċċit ta’ mijiet ta’ siġar u tawtorizza xogħlijiet ta’ kostruzzjoni fuq il-bażi ta’ permess tal-PA li għadu qed jiġi kkontestat legalment, u li għalhekk, mhuwiex definittiv.

Nappellaw lill-ERA biex tirrifjuta dan il-permess u tikkunsidrah biss wara li tkun ittieħdet deċiżjoni finali dwar il-permess tal-PA għall-vilel u l-lukanda proposti minn Hili Group f’Kemmuna.

Kwalunkwe ħaġa inqas minn hekk tkun tfisser li l-ERA qed tippermetti, b’mod irresponsabbli u illoġiku, il-qerda mifruxa ta’ Kemmuna qabel ma saħansitra jkun hemm ċertezza li l-iżvilupp sottostanti jkun ġie approvat skont il-liġi. Deċiżjoni bħal din tkun xhieda li, minflok ma taqdi dmirha li tħares l-ambjent, l-ERA qed tagħżel li tiffaċilita l-interessi ta’ żviluppaturi b’saħħithom.