More ODZs on virgin land

Abstract

During May, 14 per cent of outside development zone (ODZ) applications (17 out of 123) submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority proposed extending the development boundaries further out onto uncommitted land. In June, such applications rose to 20 per cent (24 out of 118). The lion's share of all ODZ applications is consistently taken up by proposed sanctioning, symptomatic of a culture which prefers to regularise and make amends once there is a fait accompli. Yet another ingrained attitude seems to be favouring ODZ development in Gozo, despite the island being branded as 'the untainted land' in a real estate promotional magazine distributed last Sunday with this newspaper. There was also a prol iferation of applications of pump- and tool-rooms, and swimming pools, as the exploitation of groundwater continues unabated.