The European Commission is currently investigating a number of cases where the government absolved developers from their obligation to perform Environment Impact Assessments.

One of the cases being investigated by the Commission is the Ulysses Lodge development in Ramla Bay, Gozo.
The Maltese government waived the EIA required for this development through a notice published in the government gazette on 17 June 2005.

The project consists in the construction of self-catering villa-style residential units with pools and ancillary parking spaces occupying 40,000 square metres of land. The Ulysses Lodge complex currently occupies only part of the land proposed for this development.

The site is very close to the boundary of the Ir-Ramla l-Hamra Special Area of Conservation, deemed of international importance, and lies to the southeast of the Ghajn Barrani Special Area of Conservation.

The EU’s EIA Directive states in clear terms that member countries may under exceptional circumstances exempt a project from an EIA. But in such cases the member state has to inform the European Commission, and to provide it with all the necessary information.

Asked whether Malta is in breach of the directive by waiving the EIA on the Ramla Bay development, a spokesman for the Commission confirmed that the EC has received information regarding this case and a number of other cases allegedly involving a breach of the EIA Directive.

“The Commission services are currently assessing this information to establish whether a breach can be established or not,” the commission’s spokesman told MaltaToday.

MEPA has already approved an outline permit for Ramla Bay Development and is now considering a full planning permit for the controversial development.

The original application presented by the developers was to re-develop the derelict site but the development covers a site far larger than the existing building.

The site lies is on a blue clay slope immediately below the Xaghra coralline plateau overlooking Ramla Bay on the north coast of Gozo.

According to the case officer report, the Environment Directorate had originally requested an Environment Planning Statement since the complex consisted of more than 60 beds.

“However, this was later waived due to the submission of a very detailed Project Description Statement, which includes a Geo-Environmental Impact Assessment, An Ecological Assessment, a Slope Stability Analysis, a Geo-Technical Study of Foundations, and an Archaeological Heritage Report,” the case officer report states.

MEPA board member Louis Cassar, who claims to have abstained from any MEPA meeting related to this permit, is one of the authors of these studies.

The same report states that the MEPA Board agreed that the development of a low-lying complex within a highly landscaped setting would be beneficial to the overall visual amenity of the landscape.

James Debono
MaltaToday - 8th June 2007