On Thursday, Together Gibraltar met with residents of Gardiner’s View and Alameda Estate who are objecting to plans submitted for the new development to be built on the site of the old Queen’s Cinema. 

The objections stem from a concern about the size of the development, at odds with the old town and local area, as well as concerns about the impact of the project on the natural environment.

The residents have also expressed concern on the traffic impact of such a development and Together Gibraltar believes it is regrettable that there is no requirement for developers to conduct a traffic study in their proposals, especially given the context of the government’s own Sustainable Traffic, Transport and Parking Plan.

Party leader, Nick Calamaro who met with the residents stated “this is another sign that people are getting up and saying that they’re tired of not being listened to, they are tired of their local areas, our heritage, and our environment being sold off behind the scenes, with no consideration for how it affects our quality of life.” 

“People are deeply concerned about being sidelined in conversations about how Gibraltar develops and they rightly fear that their own community will become a full-time construction site, like so much of Gibraltar.”

This objection also raises concerns about the transparency of the DPC process. As Together Gibraltar have stated, there is little guidance for members of the public on how to present an objection and there are no guidelines or clear criteria given for what is considered an acceptable objection. Concerned residents must dig through the over two hundred pages of the Town Planning Act and Gibraltar Development Plan which has not been updated since 2009. 

Developers have been given no incentive or mechanism by the government to engage with residents of the local area. The party believes that if people are involved earlier in the process we can make sure that Gibraltar continues to grow in a sustainable way and that the public must be a part of that change. 

As part of their commitments to sustainability, Together Gibraltar would make sure there are more mechanisms in place to ensure that development prioritises our quality of life and the needs of Gibraltarians. People need to have a say in what happens to their local areas. Their policies would include ending ministerial representation at the DPC, giving more resources to the Gibraltar Heritage Trust, and enforcing a public consultation for developments above a specific size. 

ENDS