Swieqi mayor blasts government for lack of interest in open spaces

Not only was the government allowing “rare” open spaces to be built up, it was unwilling to help those trying to preserve them, Swieqi mayor, Noel Muscat, said yesterday. He was contacted by this newspaper after Planning Parliamentary Secretary Deborah Schembri said she would not be assisting the local council to set up a fund to purchase an open plot of land. The council has been trying to turn the vacant plot, next to the Swieqi civic centre, into a public garden as the locality faces “constant development”. Dr Schembri said she would not be assisting in the setting up of the fund as this was not within her remit. If the council wanted to move ahead with the idea, it should meet with developers working in the area to discuss with them paying a contribution, she said. “The news that we will not be assisted on this is extremely disappointing. “The government seems like it does not even want to listen to fresh ideas on how to help localities which are being attacked by developers,” Dr Muscat said. In a meeting with the Planning Directorate last month, the mayor suggested that development permits for large projects in Swieqi be tied to a small financial contribution that would...