The Environmental Safety Group » ESG Radio Broadcast 291112

ESG Radio Broadcast 291112

ESG Radio Broadcast 29th November 2012

Today’s newsletter will touch on a few topics – to start with you may have caught sight of our great plastic monster on tour around Gibraltar last week – perhaps you saw him in the streets or in local papers and wondered what was going on? Well, this was the creature’s swansong tour helping promote awareness of the imminent launch of plastic recycling on the Rock, before heading away for recycling itself. The monster was the product of many hours of work during the summer month workshops by the ESG, Eco Art and the Gibraltar Youth Service, piecing together a huge mass of plastic containing over 1,000 plastic bottles and many hundreds of plastic bags. Material came from local company, Saccone & Speed, and the Gibraltar community. The CUTW Parade was the main stage for the monster. The inspiration for the model came from a similar sculpture built elsewhere in Europe as part of an educational and awareness programme on the dangers and issues surrounding plastic waste in our communities today. So a very serious message, delivered in an eye catching and rather comical way. Thanks to Eco Art, Master Services and the GBC Production team.

Just a final word to those of you interested in this topic- if you still don’t know where your nearest recycling bins are, look in the Gibraltar Telephone Directory, under section Around & About in Gibraltar, pages 8 & 9, for a detailed breakdown on rubbish disposal guidelines. We hope that Government will soon give the green light for recycling of plastic.

Last week’s DPC meeting packed in a detailed agenda. The Charles Hunt Room was equally packed with standing room only, as several items of public interest were discussed. On the agenda were listed buildings, tree felling, extensions, demolitions, add-ons, you name it, it was on there and lively discussions were held in an open, public format, which really is a breath of fresh air. No longer do we suffer major developments being pronounced with no or little forewarning. At the very least today, we may not always like what is proposed to the DPC, but, at the very least, the public has a right to hear, object and follow the rationale for planning approval, if given. This is a tangible and very important step towards the democratisation of Gibraltar’s planning matters. With the Town Planning Department being provided additional human resources, this also means that a more holistic and thorough service can be delivered to the community. The 1999 Town Planning Act is also currently under review and will be up for public consultation before such review is completed.

The ESG has now sat in on eleven DPC meetings. We hope we are making a positive contribution in the area of environmental safety in planning and have found the whole process, so far, of great interest.
Please contact us if you have any queries or simply want information on any local environmental issue- we are always willing to try and help. A word to our members that we shall be renewing subscriptions before the end of the year as usual and hope we can count on your support.