MEPA golfing sites shortlist

Abstract

The curtain is finally down and Pandora's box has been opened with the long-awaited list of the five most amenable sites for golfing commissioned by the Prime Minister, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, being published by MEPA. Sites which were initially considered with the rest but which eventually did not make the grade include the Ta' Zuta quarrying area, l/o Dingli and Siggiewi (discarded since MEPA estimates that there are still five years for the quarrying area to be exhausted, as it is surrounded by a myriad of protected sites and is largely inaccessible). Others which were similarly discarded are the Maghtab area, due to a public outcry (it was dropped because of non-congenial slope gradients and the long timeframe needed to fully rehabilitate the area); the Mqabba quarry area (rejected due to ongoing quarrying activities in the area); two sites at Dwejra in San Lawrenz, Gozo (there is a wide range of ecologically important habitats found on site, such as valleys, garigue, rocky steppe and cliffs); Pembroke (refused for the same reasons as those which led to MEPA rejecting outright an application for the site in June 2002 - i.e., the area is scheduled as per GN 582/96 as an AEI and an SSI, it harbours a monument of historic importance and has army rifle ranges, among other important reasons); and Habel Bellu in Zebbug (rejected because of a perceived negative impact ongroundwater reserves, its inaccessibility and the agricultural land on site).