News | Sunday, 08 March 2009

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Transport Ministry persists on Ghadira Road

James Debono
The Transport Authority (ADT) has presented the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) with a menu of three different options for the controversial Ghadira segment of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T project).
While one planning application envisions the upgrading of the existing road, the other two applications envision either a tunnel or a bridge passing behind the Danish Village and the bird sanctuary.
The government claims that it wants to develop a new road in Għadira to stop the sandy beach’s erosion.
BirdLife Malta and other green NGOs claim the development would have an adverse impact on the nature reserve and the Foresta 2000 site.
One of the three proposals – a tunnel passing right through the garigue plateau behind the Danish Village holiday complex, connected to an elevated road overlooking the nature reserve – is identical to the one made by ADI consultants in a study commissioned by the Seabank Hotel in 2004.
The tunnel option had been initially excluded, due to fears that it could negatively affect the water aquifer.
The other proposal involves widening an existing country lane connected to a viaduct bridge, also passing behind the reserve and the Danish village.
The third proposal simply involves the upgrading of the existing road, giving the government a fallback position if MEPA rejects the more controversial plans.
Austin Gatt had previously claimed he wanted to apply for a MEPA permit for the new road by the end of January so as not to lose on EU funding for the project.
The three applications were presented on 29 January and published on MEPA’s website on Wednesday. NGOs and the general public have up until 22 March to present their objections to these proposals.

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