Comino Or Mars? Untouched Maltese Island Unrecognisable Due To ‘Illegal’ Roadworks
An environmental activist group has raised the alarm over “illegal roadworks” happening at the iconic Blue Lagoon in Comino.
Friends of the Earth Malta condemned the works as a “worrying trend” that was happening everywhere from Dingli to Comino, saying that the appropriate clearance hadn’t been achieved for works to go ahead.
“Contrary to the impression being given by the Ministry for Gozo who in their statement stated that there was clearance from the ‘relevant authorities’, Friends of the Earth Malta can confirm that the outline application for these works is still pending and that the case officer’s report recommends a refusal based on the fact that the proposal lacks the necessary information to enable complete assessment in terms of environmental and landscape requirements,” the group said.
Comino is a protected Natura 2000 site.
“Since this was an outline application, work could not have been started even in the case of approval and would have required a full development application. Can the Ministry for Gozo present us with the permit and the bank guarantee imposed?” they asked.
Images from the site look barely recognisable, with the pristine island practically turned into a quarry.
Leading biologist Alan Deidun also called out the “road-widening frenzy” taking place.
FOTE ended by calling for an end to illegal roadworks being done in protected areas.
“It is high time that the environment minister puts a stop to these abusive trends which are undermining all the environmental and planning regulations to the detriment of our environment and well being,” they ended.
All images: Friends of the Earth
Did you even recognise Comino when you saw the pictures?
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