Nobody’s biting the green bullet – Alan Deidun

Having consistently featured as one of the top-scoring concerns in public perceptions surveys, the environment predictably attracted more than a cursory look by those contesting next week’s elections.

So much so that terms such as ODZ, public green spaces, renewable energy, electric cars, public transport, new modes of transport, restoration, picnic areas, parks and afforestation have been mainstreamed within the ongoing electoral campaign.

This is all fine and dandy and should be reason enough to rejoice, especially when considering that environmental issues barely made a mention within electoral pledges up till 10-15 years ago. The elation sours into dejection and downright vexation, however, when one scratches beyond the surface of such pledges, proving right once again the adage that the devil lies in the detail.

For instance, this column, along with others, has, since 2013-2014, been decrying the unadulterated abuse ushered in by the revised ODZ policies approved in 2014 and known by the RPDG (rural policy and design guidelines) tongue-twister.

In the past 10 odd years that such policies have been put into practice, for instance, countless and dodgy applications for...