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Il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Floriana isostni s-soluzzjonijiet għall-kriżi demografika fil-quċċata tal-aġenda nazzjonali
Fl-aħħar ġimgħat il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Floriana ssokta bil-laqgħat tiegħu mal-Kunsilli Lokali u kif ukoll entitajiet biex jiddiskutu sfida ewlenija li qed tolqot il-lokalità; il-kriżi demografika.
F’laqgħa li kellu mal-Kumitat tas-Soċjetà Ċivili fi ħdan l-MCESD, il-Kunsill Lokali ppreżenta d-dokument li l-Kunsill addotta fi Frar li għadda b’rabta mal-kriżi demografika fil-lokal. In-nuqqas ta’ riġenerazzjoni tan-nies fil-Floriana ilha tinħass għal għexieren ta’ snin, bil-Kunsill Lokali approva dokument imħejji mid-Deputat Sindku James Aaron Ellul li permezz tiegħu skata proċess ta’ konsultazzjoni anki mal-Gvern u mal-Oppożizzjoni.
Is-Sindku Nigel Holland tkellem dwar kif anki l-pjan lokali mhux jiġi rispettat, fejn qed isir żvilupp mhux għal skopijiet reżidenzjali f’zoni li huma reżidenzjali. Huwa elenka wkoll li l-Kunsill Lokali qed isib appoġġ anki mir-Reġjun Port. Huwa tenna li lokalità bla komunità mhux lokalità, u għalhekk il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Floriana se jibqa’ jsostni l-politika li ssaħħaħ il-popolazzjoni tal-lokalità u mhux tħalliha titnaqqar. Is-Sindku tal-Floriana sejjaħ lill-awtoritajiet nazzjonali biex joffru aktar riżorsi u qafas legali li jsaħħaħ lill-Kunsilli Lokali. Huwa tenna li l-iskop tal-Kunsill jibqa’ wieħed: li l-Floriana terġa’ tkun lokalità b’ħajja. Nigel Holland appella wkoll lill-awtoritajiet biex jirrispettaw il-local plan u joffru aktar għajnuna lill-Floriana u lill-Furjaniżi.
Id-Deputat Sindku James Aaron Ellul aċċenna l-fatt li l-awtoritajiet li suppost jiżalvagwardjaw il-Floriana mhux jagħmlu dan, fejn ħafna drabi jintilef il-bilanċ, u l-Kunsill jitħalla waħdu, bil-limitazzjonijiet kbar li llum il-Kunsill Lokali għandhom. Huwa tenna li d-dokument li ressaq fi Frar ta lok għal aktar għarfien u tqajmet kuxjenza dwar din il-kriżi, fejn anki permezz tal-istatistika uffiċjali tal-Uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-Istatistika wieħed jista’ jkollu stampa ċara tal-popolazzjoni tal-Floriana u x-xejra li ħadet matul l-aħħar snin. Ellul elenka li jekk is-sitwazzjoni tibqa’ kif inhi, fejn ma jkunx hemm għajnuniet addizzjonali mill-Gvern u/jew entitajiet oħra, il-kalkolu li wettaq fuq kif niżlet il-popolazzjoni tal-Maltin fil-Floriana jindika li sal-2034 ikun fadal 1,278 Malti jgħixu fil-Floriana. Bil-kalkolu ttieħed b’indikazzjonijiet mhux daqstant drastiċi.
Fost il-proposti ppreżentati fid-dokument hemm miżuri li jiffavorixxu l-użu ta’ proprjetajiet vojta għal skopijiet residenzjali, inċentivi għal familji żgħażagħ biex jissetiljaw fil-lokalità, u pjan ta’ riġenerazzjoni li jżomm l-identità storika u soċjali tal-Floriana.
Matul din il-laqgħa ġie diskuss kif il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Floriana kellu laqgħat anki mal-Kunsill Lokali tal-Birgu u l-Isla, fejn matul dawn il-laqgħat ġew diskussi materji komuni li jolqtu lill-komunità madwar il-Port il-Kbir fosthom il-kriżi demografika u d-diżintegrazzjoni tal-komunitajiet residenzjali li jmissu mal-istess port.
Id-dokument tal-Kunsill Lokali li għandu l-appoġġ mill-Kunsill kollu, kien ippreżentat liċ-Chairperson tal-MCESD David Xuereb, lis-CEO tal-MCESD Brendan Zerafa u liċ-Chairperson tal-Kumitat tas-Soċjetà Ċivili fi ħdan l-MCESD Norma Camilleri. Huma indikaw li fi ħdan il-Kumitat tas-Soċjetà Ċivili hemm rappreżentanza tal-Kunsill Lokali, permezz tal-Local Councils Association u għaldaqstant jkun hemm opportunità biex id-dokument tal-Kunsill Lokali jkun ukoll diskuss fl-istess kumitat.
Preżenti għal din l-istess laqgħa kien hemm is-Segretarju Eżekuttiv tal-Kunsill Lokali tal-Floriana Malcolm Agius Muscat u kif ukoll il-Kunsilliera Justine Palmier.
Il-Kunsill Lokali Furjaniż japprezza l-kollaborazzjoni tal-Kunsilli ġirien, tal-entitajiet pubbliċi u tas-soċjetà ċivili, u nsejħu għal aktar impenn komuni biex jerġa’ jinbena t-tessut soċjali tal-bliet tal-Port il-Kbir. Il-Kunsill Lokali se jibqa’ jippromwovi miżuri konkreti biex jerġa’ jkun hemm bilanċ bejn l-iżvilupp urban u l-ħajja komunitarja.
Floriana Local Council continues to place the demographic crisis at the forefront of the national agenda
In recent weeks, the Floriana Local Council has continued holding meetings with other Local Councils as well as with various entities to discuss a key challenge affecting the locality — the demographic crisis.
During a meeting held with the Civil Society Committee within the MCESD, the Local Council presented the document it had adopted last February regarding the demographic challenges faced by the locality. The lack of population regeneration in Floriana has been felt for decades, with the Council approving a document prepared by Deputy Mayor James Aaron Ellul, which also initiated a consultation process with both Government and Opposition representatives.
Mayor Nigel Holland spoke about how even the local plan is often not respected, with development being permitted for non-residential purposes in residential zones. He also noted that the Local Council is receiving support from the Regional Council for the Grand Harbour area. He emphasized that a locality without a community is not a locality, and for this reason, the Floriana Local Council will continue promoting policies that strengthen the population rather than allow it to decline. The Mayor called on national authorities to provide more resources and a stronger legal framework to empower Local Councils. He reaffirmed that the Council’s main goal remains unchanged — for Floriana to once again become a living community. Mayor Holland also appealed to the authorities to respect the local plan and offer more assistance to Floriana and its residents.
Deputy Mayor James Aaron Ellul noted that the authorities responsible for safeguarding Floriana are often failing to do so, resulting in an imbalance that leaves the Council to face the situation alone, despite the major limitations that Local Councils currently face. He emphasized that the document submitted in February helped raise awareness and understanding of this crisis. Official statistics published by the National Statistics Office clearly show the population trends in Floriana over the years. Ellul explained that, based on his projections, if the situation remains unchanged and no additional support is provided by the Government or other entities, the number of Maltese residents in Floriana is expected to drop to 1,278 by 2034, based on moderate estimates. James Aaron Ellul warned that without urgent national action, Floriana risks becoming a town of memories rather than a living community.
Among the proposals presented in the document are measures to encourage the use of vacant properties for residential purposes, incentives for young families to settle in the locality, and a regeneration plan that preserves Floriana’s historic and social identity.
During this meeting, it was also discussed how the Floriana Local Council has held meetings with the Birgu and Isla Local Councils, where they addressed common issues affecting communities around the Grand Harbour — including the demographic crisis and the disintegration of traditional residential communities in the area.
The document, which enjoys the full support of the Floriana Local Council, was presented to MCESD Chairperson David Xuereb, MCESD CEO Brendan Zerafa, and Civil Society Committee Chairperson Norma Camilleri. They noted that the Civil Society Committee includes representation from the Local Councils Association, creating an opportunity for the Floriana document to be further discussed within the committee.
Also present for the meeting were the Council’s Executive Secretary Malcolm Agius Muscat and Councillor Justine Palmier.
The Floriana Local Council appreciates the collaboration of neighbouring councils, public entities, and civil society organizations, and calls for stronger joint commitment to rebuild the social fabric of the Grand Harbour towns. The Council remains determined to promote concrete measures to restore a balance between urban development and community life.
