Cowboys call the shots in Gozo

Abstract

A popular ironic cliché is that Gozo is a republic unto itself, with individuals taking unilateral and arbitrary actions being the order of the day. When it comes to planning infringements, the cliché is actually self-evidently true as, in some areas in Gozo, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and enforcement in general are viewed as impositions from the mother island, existing simply to perpetuate the perception of Gozo as some sort of ‘presepju’ (crib) where all forms of development or ‘progress’ are stigmatised.