Scheduled, archaeological zone excavated for karozzin stand - FAA

A scheduled, archaeological zone in Howard Gardens is being excavated for a karozzin stand, the environmental organisation Flimkien għal Ambjent Ahjar said as it expressed concern at the development.

Addressing a news conference this morning, coordinator Astrid Vella said that because of the importance of the site, the application should have gone through the full planning process. 

Alternattiva Demokratika deputy chairman Carmel Cacopardo said no public consultation had been carried out as the planning authority accepted that the Development Notification Order process was used instead of the normal, full application process.

This deprived Mdina and Rabat residents, as well as NGOs, of the opportunity to take part in the decision-making process.

“Wwen viewed together with the fact that the electronic information on the case was mysteriously absent from the Mepa website, one inevitably concludes that the process was wilfully sabotaged,” he said.

Environmentalist Alfred E Baldacchino expressed outrage at the permits the authority was granting and the fact that it was failing to take action on other damage to heritage in the Rabat area.

"Mepa is the worst enemy of society and the...