ERA defends its decision to allow Comino road works to resume

The environmental regulator has defended its decision to allow road resurfacing works in Comino to resume, after an NGO accused it of rubber-stamping Gozo Ministry decisions.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Environment and Resources Authority said its board had decided to allow works to resume after establishing that they would be undertaken with “mitigation measures to curb environmental damage” without impinging on the area’s natural integrity. 

Comino is a Natura 2000 protected site. 

Works to resurface the access road leading to Comino’s Blue Lagoon are being undertaken by Gozo Ministry contractors, despite the project having no planning permit.

The ministry has argued that the works are “emergency” in nature and intended to prevent part of the road from caving in. A concrete culvert built as part of the project would allow kiosks in the area to do away with their electricity generators, the ministry claims. 

The ERA ordered a stop to the works on March 13, on the basis of concerns of significant overspill and ecological damage to the area. 

On Friday, the ERA gave the go-ahead for works to resume, prompting outrage by Friends of the Earth Malta. 

The NGO accused the...