On Planning issues in Gibraltar:-

• In our last newsletter we talked about the changes taking place within Gibraltar’s planning procedures. Indeed we have already witnessed these changes in action as the ESG, in our newly appointed role as part of the DPC, has attended the first public meeting of the Development and Planning Commission. This is a huge and very positive step for Gibraltar. Many in the community, as well as the ESG, have long called for the opening up of the planning process, making it more transparent and accountable. This is now what is on offer with the agendas and minutes of all meetings to be made available online, as well as meetings being held in public. It is now up to us, the community, to engage in this opportunity of helping shape Gibraltar’s physical environment. Yesterdays’ meeting covered minor projects but we understand that larger projects will be on the table for discussion at the next two proposed February meetings. You can check for further information online at:-

http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/town-planning and by then clicking on the “DPC” link on the left hand side.

ESG advise UK Students:

• On another subject Gibraltar, this week, has seen a large group of students from Oxford Brookes University on a fact finding trip to collect information for their studies. The topic was sustainability in small nations and while Malta has previously been the model studied by this University, it is now encouraging students to visit Gibraltar as a challenging and interesting location to study in its own right. The ESG was asked to advise various groups on topics such as pollution and waste management and found the entire exchange very interesting, and the discussions of mutual benefit.

On Clean Ups:

• In our last newsletter we also invited volunteers to help the ESG and Heritage Trust continue a clean up at Witham’s Cemetery which we jointly started in 2011. It now appears that this area is already being taken care of by Govt Agencies and the Heritage Trust and so we shall instead confirm an alternative location to clear, possibly in the Jungle or a coastal clean up. Timing is likely to be end of January or early February and we shall confirm dates soon.

General:

• We continue to meet with Government ministries to discuss our concerns and interests in Gibraltar’s environment and are preparing for numerous presentations and talks coming up so it’s a busy start to 2012.

Plse contact us at esg@gibtelecom.net, 200-48996, or 54960000 if you would like to join our group, sign up for future campaigns, or generally just to meet up and discuss any concerns.

Thanks for listening