This Thursday, 16th July, the Planning Board will decide on whether to sanction 20 illegally built padel courts and allow the construction of an additional ten at Manoel Island’s entrance. The process surrounding this application and its recommendation for approval grossly undermine Government’s plan to turn Manoel Island into a public park after reclaiming it from MIDI after 26 years. The Planning Board hearing was originally scheduled for election week but was deferred at the eleventh hour.

The illegal developments on the site of the ex-Nicholl ground, flagged by members of the public back in March, are the work of businessman Sharlon Pace, president of Gżira FC but who has admitted a personal business interest in the local padel industry. A commercial padel complex is not the football ground the Gżira community has been asking for. Nor is it compatible with the vision of Manoel Island as a non-commercial space for public wellbeing which the public has expressed both through our campaign and through Project Green’s public consultation exercise.

Moviment Graffitti had exposed how PA Head, Johann Buttigieg, had been participating alongside Sharlon Pace in the Charter Club Cup padel tournament in Pace’s own IK Padel Village in Pembroke. This padel complex, too, was built illegally and later sanctioned by the PA. It is perhaps no wonder then how the PA’s case officer took only two days to brush off the scores of objections filed by the public and recommend Pace’s illegal Manoel Island complex for approval.

And what of Robert Abela, who just two months ago proclaimed Manoel Island public with such pomp and with Lands Minister Owen Bonnici by his side? The visions he has been feeding the public of a national park will go up in smoke if the PA gives Pace a permanent right to the first 6,700 square meters of Manoel Island.

We call on Prime Minister Robert Abela to honour the promise he made to the people and fulfil his responsibility to ensure that promise becomes a reality, and remind the PA that their obligation is towards the community. The campaign will be following this Thursday’s hearing and will keep defending the public’s need for a Manoel Island that serves common good first, and not commercial interest. Fines alone are not enough, no matter the value. This deceitful planning application must be refused outright, not given the Government’s blessing of permanence.

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Manoel Island post għalina lkoll, mhux għall-ftit privileġġjati

Nhar il-Ħamis, 16 ta’ Lulju, il-Bord tal-Ippjanar se jieħu deċiżjoni dwar is-sanzjonar ta’ 20 padel court mibnija illegalment u l-bini ta’ għaxar padel court oħra fid-daħla ta’ Manoel Island. Il-proċess li bih mexiet din l-applikazzjoni u r-rakkomandazzjoni biex tiġi approvata jmorru totalment kontra l-pjan imwiegħed mill-Gvern li Manoel Island issir park pubbliku wara li ttieħdet lura mingħand il-MIDI wara 26 sena.

Is-seduta tal-Bord tal-Ippjanar kienet oriġinarjament skedata għall-ġimgħa tal-elezzjoni iżda din ġiet posposta fl-aħħar minuta.

L-iżviluppi illegali fis-sit fejn qabel kien hemm il-ground Nicholl, li ġew żvelati mill-pubbliku f’Marzu li għadda, huma xogħol in-negozjant Sharlon Pace, president ta’ Gżira FC, li iżda, ammetta li għandu interess kummerċjali personali fl-industrija lokali tal-padel. Kumpless kummerċjali tal-padel mhuwiex il-ground tal-futbol li l-komunità tal-Gżira ilha snin sħaħ titlob. Lanqas mhu kompatibbli mal-viżjoni ta’ Manoel Island bħala spazju mhux kummerċjali għall-benesseri pubbliku. Il-viżjoni ta’ Manoel Island bħala park pubbliku, ħieles mill-interessi kummerċjali, kisbet appoġġ kbir mill-pubbliku tul il-kampanja Manoel Island: Post Għalina u fl-eżerċizzju ta’ konsultazzjoni pubblika li ġie mniedi wara minn Project Green.

Il-Moviment Graffitti kien żvela kif il-Kap tal-PA, Johann Buttigieg, kien qed jipparteċipa flimkien ma’ Sharlon Pace fit-tournament tal-padel ta’ Charter Club Cup fl-IK Padel Village ta’ Sharlon Pace stess f’Pembroke. Dan il-kumpless tal-padel ukoll kien inbena illegalment u aktar tard ġie ssanzjonat mill-PA. Forsi mhux ta’ b’xejn allura li l-case officer tal-PA f’jumejn biss għażel li jinjora l-għexieren ta’ oġġezzjonijiet imressqa mill-pubbliku u jirrakkomanda l-kumpless illegali ta’ Manoel Island ta’ Pace għall-approvazzjoni.

U xi ngħidu għal Robert Abela, li xahrejn biss ilu ddikjara Manoel Island bħala post pubbliku qalb tant ċerimonji, bil-Ministru tal-Artijiet Owen Bonnici maġenbu? Il-viżjonijiet ta’ park nazzjonalili kien qed iwiegħed lill-pubbliku se jisfaw fix-xejn jekk il-PA tagħti lil Pace dritt permanenti għall-ewwel 6,700 metru kwadru ta’ art f’Manoel Island.

Nappellaw lill-Prim Ministru Robert Abela biex jonora l-wegħda li għamel lin-nies u ma jaħrabx mir-responsabbiltà tiegħu li jiżgura li dik il-wegħda ssir realtà. Infakkru wkoll lill-PA li l-obbligu tagħhom huwa lejn il-komunità. Il-kampanja se tkun qed issegwi s-smigħ tal-Ħamis li ġej u se tkompli tiddefendi l-bżonn pubbliku li Manoel Island tkun post li jaqdi l-ġid komuni l-ewwel, u mhux l-interessi kummerċjali. Il-multi waħedhom qatt ma jistgħu jkunu biżżejjed, ikun xi jkun l-ammont tagħhom.

Din l-applikazzjoni qarrieqa trid tiġi rrifjutata għalkollox, u mhux tingħata l-barka tal-Gvern.