The aim of this thesis is to study whether the scoping process of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), in the Maltese extractive industries is carried out in an appropriate manner and to evaluate if there is a need for improvement and suggest ways how this may be done.

The extractive industry was chosen as an area of study because it is the only industry which supplies the raw material from the limited local natural resources to the construction industry which employs more than 3000 people (Xuereb, 1995). In 1987, Malta’s fourth biggest industry was that of construction (Colin Buchanan and Partners et al., 1991 a).

Quarries leave large scars in the landscape and have also been blamed for damage to important archaeological sites, as well as that to the natural environment (Wardell Armstrong et al., 1991).

Recent studies commissioned by the Planning Authority (PA) have shown that there is a sufficient softstone reserve for the next 260 years and a hardstone reserve for the next 120 years, if the present ongoing use in the industry persists (Planning Authority, 1997). This shows the importance of the resource and the need and requirement for the present and future generations to handle well applications for its extraction.

The report will be divided in the following manner. Chapter one will contain the objectives of the project along with a brief historical background about the Maltese Islands, their geology and the planning process which will get the study in context for the reader.

Chapter two will deal with the local Environmental Impact Assessment process, indicating the importance of scoping, the present legislative background, the Terms of Reference used and the changes which are envisaged for the near future.

Chapter three will describe the investigative method used in the report, that is, the analysis of the EIA reports which have been done so far, using matrices and also the questionnaire which was sent to various groups.

Chapter four will deal with the results obtained from the investigative part of chapter three, whereas chapter five will discuss the results and include information obtained from the interviews with a number of people.

Chapter six will be the conclusion of the report. This will highlight areas of concern, recommendations and a summary of the main conclusions, finally answering the question set in the aim.

The Maltese islands are a group of small, low-lying islands 96 Km south of Sicily at the centre of the centre of the Mediterranean Sea (Fig 1.1). The islands are made up of three inhabited islands, namely Malta (245.7 Km²), Gozo (67.1 Km²) and Comino (2.8 Km²) and three smaller islets. The population stood at 1,172 persons per Km² in 1994 (Azzopardi, 1995).

The islands are mainly composed of sedimentary rocks, mostly limestone, laid down during the Oligo-Miocene period, that is, approximately 25 million years ago. As a result of the islands being formed under water, a large number of plant and animal fossils are found in the Maltese rock. The five principle types of rock which are exposed are shown in fig 1.2.

The different meteorological conditions during the formation of the islands coupled with subsequent tectonic movements led to a situation where in some parts of the Island the topmost layer of the land is the Lower Coralline Limestone. This can be seen in the geological map shown in Fig 1.3.

Theuma (1996) states that quarrying in the Maltese Islands has been a feature for approximately 6000 years. Limestone construction dates back to the megalithic temples of Mnajdra and Hagar Qim at around 4,000 BC.

The present estimated number of hardstone quarries is 27, occupying an area of about 130 ha and with a workforce of about 300 people. There are 81 softstone quarries occupying an area of about 80 ha, with a workforce of about 500 mainly part timers and family members of the owner (Planning Authority, 1997).

Softstone quarries, utilising Globigerina limestone, are mainly situated in central and eastern Malta (Fig 1.4). The hardstone industry which uses both Upper and Lower Coralline Limestone, is located to the west of Malta as well as the north and central parts of the island (Fig 1.4). Open pit methods are used in both type of quarries (Photo 1.1). While rotary blade cutters are used to cut Globigerina Limestone into slabs (Photo 1.2), explosives are used to weaken the rock in the hardstone industry. Crushers are used to further break down the rock into aggregate of the required size (Photo 1.3).

The rate of increase in building development rose dramatically after the war and between 1957 and 1985 the number of dwellings increased by 71.2 % when the population rose by just 9.5 %, and the number of households increased by 42.2% in the same period.

This building boom had collateral effects on the islands. The need for resource, that is, the building stone and concrete for roofing and bricks increased dramatically. This is clearly shown by the statistical reports collated by the central Office of Statistics, the results of which are shown in Fig 1.5 and 1.6.

Statistical records of production for the periods quoted show a great disparity between consumption and production. The Structure Plan Review Monitoring report (1990-95) states that the figure of 276,750 m³ quoted by the Central Office of Statistics should read about 860,000 m³, that is, more than three times the values declared by the statistical records. This was mainly attributed to the reluctance of the quarry owners to send feedback to the Central Office of Statistics. It is stated that only 32% replied to their questionnaires.

It is outside the scope of this report to calculate the exact quantities produced and sold, but one has to keep in mind that the quantities involved are considerable. Recycling of stone has started only very recently, and so cannot be attributed to the discrepancies found in the statistics.

It is estimated that due to the strong competition by concrete and steel substitutes in the construction industry, softstone owners are seeing a decline in demand for their products. As a result, at least 50 % of lesser quality material is being discarded (Planning Authority, 1997).

Similarly, as in the case of softstone quarries, hardstone quarry statistics are not so accurate either. The estimated production values given in the Structure Plan Review Monitoring Report (1990-1995) are in the region of 1,400,000 m³. Inert wastes generated in these quarries is claimed to be in the region of about 15 - 25 % of the gross production (Duca, pers. comm., 1998).

The island was under colonial rule from 1800 until independence in 1964. The indelible colonial marks influenced most of the legislation throughout the years. The planning system after the war was along the lines of the British 1947 Town and Country Planning Act.

Reconstruction and economic growth saw the rapid increase in the population and the economy during the 1950s and 1960s. The initial work was done mainly by British consultants and focused on the need for zoning, containment of ribbon development and new building regulations.

The need for a development plan and planning legislation was felt in the sixties. This led to the 1969 Town and Country planning Act, which was largely based on the British system. Unfortunately the Act never became operative. Piecemeal development schemes were the trend during the seventies.

in 1983 the Building Development Areas (BDA) Act came into effect, thus indicating the intention of the authorities to re-embrace planning. This act for the first time, allowed the development on open land. The result was a disastrous situation. Urban sprawl and mis-use of the land were rampant. It was the cause of many a protest from environmental groups. As a result of the BDA act, the island was rapidly losing its character.

The Building Permits Act of 1988 reflected concerns that something must be done to halt the environmental decline. This was the Act which set the pathway for the structure plan and eventually the Planning Authority. The planning services division, a governmental department within the Ministry for Development of Infrastructure, was charged with the responsibility to draw up the structure plan for the Maltese Islands. Funded by the European Community and with the help of British and Italian consultants, a series of reports, consultation meetings and studies were carried out. This led to the Draft Final Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands which was published in December 1990 by the Ministry for Development of Infrastructure which incorporated the Planning Services Division. The Structure Plan was finally enacted through the Development Planning Act 1992. This also created the Planning Authority and its functioning arm, the Planning Directorate, with the responsibilities to implement the planning system and the 320 planning policies outlined in the Structure Plan.

The Development planning Act, 1992 was amended in 1997, by the Development Planning (Amendment) Act, 1997. This amendment mainly fine tuned certain processes which were considered as bottleneck areas in the previous legislation.

This chapter started by outlining the main aims of the dissertation justifying the reasons behind the area of study by indicating their relative importance to the local situation. A description of the sequential steps followed in the report was given. The reader was placed in perspective of the local situation by:

1. being presented with a geological formation of the Maltese Islands.
2. by showing the magnitude of the extractive industry and the lack of information forthcoming from it.
3. the considerable impacts being generated by its operation.
4. being given a brief historical background which led to the present planning set-up.