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| Din l-Art Helwa comes out against Rabat golf course proposal The heritage organization Din l-Art Helwa said yesterday that it was against the development of a golf course near the Verdala Hotel in Rabat, although it was not against golf courses in principle. It would not, in principle, be against building another golf course in the Maltese islands, it said. DLH is persuaded that economic benefits would accrue if a first-class golf course, together with modern ancillary facilities, were built. "However, after very careful consideration, it does not support the proposal for a golf course and country club to be built in the Verdala, Rabat area," it said in a statement. It gave two main reasons for its decision. The first was the Planning Authority�s golf course development report which stated that golf courses should be built in locations "where positive environmental benefits could be achieved by using derelict land or other land requiring major environmental improvements". The Structure Plan also stated that golf courses should be accommodated without loss of good quality agricultural land. "The proposal for a golf course and country club at Verdala ran counter to both these criteria," it said. Secondly, the size of the proposed development was disproportionate in terms of land use. "Topographically located on a sloping hill, the golf course and country club would make a considerable impact on the surrounding landscape so as to change irrevocably the indigenous character of the area. "While a golf course, per se, might not be considered unsightly, a development of an artificial nature on this integral part of Malta`s cultural landscape leading to historic Mdina is undesirable. "The size and impact of the so-called Club House, planned at a cost of Lm3.5 million would result in a major construction, the foot-print of which would be environmentally adverse and could be used to justify further building in the area at some future date," it said. The organisation also stated that the onus of proof must be on the developer to demonstrate that the environmental effects of loss of good quality agricultural land would not be adverse and that the loss to the farming community was acceptable. "DLH considers that, on balance, this criterion had not been achieved by the evidence adduced in the Environmental Impact Assessment which was unpersuasive in a number of key respects regarding sustainability and land use. "Furthermore, it also had many serious reservations about the hydrological aspects of the proposal and their impact on the area," it said. DLH suggested that in view of the limitations on land and the shortage of open spaces, any future golf course should be located so as to rehabilitate derelict or waste land, such as land-fill areas. |
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