Infrastructure Malta Defends Decision To Commence Central Link Project Despite Appeal Still Pending
Infrastructure Malta has defended its decision to start works on the controversial Central Link project before an appeal by NGOs against it remains pending.
Replying to questions by Lovin Malta, an Infrastructure Malta said that its right to implement the Central Link Project was reconfirmed on 30th December 2019, when the Civil Court’s First Hall rejected a request for a warrant of prohibitory injunction made by the same NGO appellants.
“In its decree, the Court reaffirmed that Infrastructure Malta can start implementing this important national project in spite of the pending appeal,” a spokesperson for IM said.
Additionally, IM said that works on this long-awaited upgrade are starting after the project plans were approved by the Planning Authority and reviewed by the European Commission in 2019. Last November, these plans were also reconfirmed by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal, which rejected a request by NGOs and seven individuals to revoke the project’s permits.
“Whilst the appellants have a right to file an appeal in terms of the Tribunal’s decision, such appeal does not restrict Infrastructure Malta’s permit to proceed with this development of national importance. This was actually the second request for a warrant of prohibitory injunction filed by the appellants in recent weeks, since they had previously filed another one, but ceded it before it was even heard before the Court,” the spokesperson added.
The Central Link Project is based on plans included in the 2006 Central Malta Local Plan, which had already indicated congestion along L-Imdina Road, In-Nutar Zarb Road and other nearby roads as a major problem for Attard and nearby localities. Infrastructure Malta optimised these 2006 plans to augment long-term efficiency and sustainability, to mitigate adverse impacts on adjacent lands and to add new infrastructure for bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists, which are currently almost nonexistent along this route.
Infrastructure Malta said that the National Transport Master Plan 2025 also highlights the importance of this investment, listing the L-Imdina Road and In-Nutar Zarb Road corridor as the 12th of 29th priority sections of the EU’s TEN-T network in Malta that need to be urgently upgraded for increased safety and efficiency.