The residents of Balluta did not vote for a bulldozer at the last general and local council elections. Most of them voted for the Nationalist Party candidates for parliament and the local council because they identified with what they thought this party stood for: reasonable policies through a process of dialogue and consultation. Instead of taking the local residents in his confidence and informing them right from the start about his intentions, it is only now that the mayor of St Julian’s is calling a meeting. The meeting which is planned for Friday evening cannot be considered a consultation meeting, since the plans to build the Balluta underground car park and the public transport terminal are at an advanced stage and efforts are also being made to get European Union funds to finance them.
The residents are angry and feel let down, mostly by the Nationalist Party councilors and the mayor of St Julian’s because the local council is set to build an underground car park and a bus terminus at Balluta Square, converting the area into a focal point for traffic, allowing people to park, before jumping onto a bus go to Paceville. Balluta residents are concerned that these developments would considerably disrupt their daily routines.
They are angry that the party they have supported all their lives is behaving like a “bulldozer”, totally insensitive to their needs and bent on crushing their concerns. The residents’ anger and frustration is palpable, as anyone who brings up the issue in their presence will tell you. They are worried that the PN government will back what the local council. Some of them are still hoping that the Prime Minister will stop this project: “All this boils down to the mayor’s arrogance. How dare he ignore the residents …? I suggest the Prime Minister looks into this confusion in more detail. Has he forgotten that Balluta Bay is a Nationalist stronghold. Governments come and go but we want Balluta Square to stay as it is and untouched long after Mayor Bonello has disappeared.”
So far, the PN government has given the impression that it is distancing itself from the Balluta Square project, but the residents feel that they are not being told the full story. Minister George Pullicino has just sent them a letter telling them that the government is committed to save open spaces and enhance them. The Balluta Square underground car park and the public transport terminal will still keep the open space, but after it has been dug up and then recreated on top of the underground car park. The square and the areas as we know it will be gone forever.
The PN government needs to be honest about the project. Will it support the local council by allocating EU funds for this venture? Twelve days ago Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi answered a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo and said that the government has no plans for an underground car park under Balluta square. Dr Gonzi diplomatically said that “he was informed that the St Julian’s local council has applied for permits for a small terminus for an electric bus to serve the needs of residents.”
It is easy for the Prime Minister to find out more about the intentions of the St Julian’s local council that his party leads. Apart from getting all the necessary information from the PN mayor, MEPA is in a position to tell the Prime Minister that, on 10th March 2009, in response to a decision by the St Julian’s local council a Proposal for Traffic Management Projects in St Julian’s has been submitted to MEPA that includes an underground car park at Balluta Square with 130 parking spaces at an estimated cost of €833,000.
The wish to save Balluta Square is not limited to those who live in the immediate area. Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) commented recently that on a radio programme the St Julian’s Mayor has stated that the car park will be limited to the area under the existing street, however plans recently viewed by residents indicate a triangular-shaped car-park under the square. FAA is also concerned about the aesthetic impact of the proposed street-level terminus which would block views of Balluta Valley. FAA has once again stated that public consultation should take place before such projects are launched, not only to take heritage, environmental and residents’ requirements into account, but also to increase clarity and transparency in public planning issues.
Although those who want to build an underground car park and a bus terminus at Balluta Square want to push ahead with their plans, those who want to save this square must not give up. There are a lot of citizen initiatives that they can take at local, national and EU levels: petitions, media campaigns, lobbying all the Members of Parliament of their district and the Maltese Members of the European parliament and relevant EU institutions. They must not allow themselves to be bulldozed into submission and meekly accept the destruction of Balluta Square.
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Instead of taking the local residents in his confidence and informing them right from the start about his intentions, it is only now that the mayor of St Julian’s is calling a meeting. The meeting which is planned for Friday evening cannot be considered a consultation meeting, since the plans to build the Balluta underground car park and the public transport terminal are at an advanced stage and efforts are also being made to get European Union funds to finance them.
