REVIEW OF THE STRUCTURE PLAN FOR THE MALTESE ISLANDS LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS LANDSCAPE 2 LANDSCAPE TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 1.2 THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9 1.3 THE MALTESE CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................................................................. 10 2 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER .............................................................................................................................. 13 2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 13 2.2 PHYSICAL DETERMINANTS OF THE MALTESE LANDSCAPE............................................................................................................................. 15 2.3 ANTHROPOGENIC AGENTS............................................................................................................................................................................... 20 2.4 METHODOLOGY OF DETERMINING LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREAS............................................................................................................. 21 3 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREAS OF MALTA ......................................................................................... 25 3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 25 3.2 MARFA PENINSULA (M1, M2, M53, M54, M55) ............................................................................................................................................. 25 3.3 GHADIRA ISTHMUS (M3, M52) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 27 3.4 MELLIEHA SLOPES (M4, M6, M52, M56, M57)............................................................................................................................................... 28 3.5 MELLIEHA RIDGE (M5) .................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 3.6 BAJDA RIDGE (M7)........................................................................................................................................................................................... 30 3.7 PWALES VALLEY (M8) ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 3.8 ST. PAUL’S BAY-BUGIBBA-QAWRA (M9, M57, M58) ........................................................................................................................................ 32 3.9 MGARR-ZEBBIEGH-WARDIJA SLOPES (M10, M12, M13) ................................................................................................................................. 33 3.10 WARDIJA PLATEAU (M11) ............................................................................................................................................................................... 34 3.11 MAGHTAB (M14) .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 35 3.12 BINGEMMA SLOPES (M15, M16)...................................................................................................................................................................... 36 3.13 BAHRIJA PLATEAU (M17)................................................................................................................................................................................. 37 3.14 QLEJGHA CATCHMENT (M18).......................................................................................................................................................................... 38 3.15 RABAT-DINGLI NORTH-EAST ESCARPMENT (M19).......................................................................................................................................... 39 3 LANDSCAPE 3.16 RABAT-DINGLI PLATEAU (M20)....................................................................................................................................................................... 40 3.17 GHARGHUR-SAN GWANN HINTERLAND (M21, M22)........................................................................................................................................ 42 3.18 WEST MOSTA - TA’ QALI (M23, M25).............................................................................................................................................................. 43 3.19 MOSTA - NAXXAR (M24) ................................................................................................................................................................................... 44 3.20 SIGGIEWI – ZEBBUG FORELAND (M26)............................................................................................................................................................ 45 3.21 NORTH-EAST CONURBATION (M27, M28)...................................................................................................................................................... 47 3.22 GRAND HARBOUR INDUSTRIAL AREA (M29) ................................................................................................................................................... 49 3.23 INNER HARBOURS HISTORIC COASTLINE (M30, M31, M32, M33, M34, M35)............................................................................................. 50 3.24 NORTH AIRPORT GREENBELT (M36, M37) ..................................................................................................................................................... 52 3.25 SOUTH AIRPORT HINTERLAND (M38) ............................................................................................................................................................. 53 3.26 MALTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (M39)....................................................................................................................................................... 54 3.27 MQABBA QUARRY AREA (M40) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 56 3.28 ZEJTUN – MARSASKALA HINTERLAND (M41, M61).......................................................................................................................................... 56 3.29 XGHAJRA ESCARPMENT (M42, M60) ............................................................................................................................................................... 58 3.30 MARSAXLOKK BAY BASIN (M43, M47)............................................................................................................................................................. 59 3.31 KALAFRANA-HAL FAR (M44) ............................................................................................................................................................................ 61 3.32 DELIMARA PENINSULA (M45, M46)................................................................................................................................................................. 62 3.33 SOUTH-EASTERN COASTAL CLIFFS (M48)...................................................................................................................................................... 63 3.34 SOUTHERN COASTAL ESCARPMENT (M49) ..................................................................................................................................................... 65 3.35 SOUTH-WESTERN COASTAL CLIFFS (M50)..................................................................................................................................................... 66 3.36 WESTERN COASTAL CLIFFS (M51, M52) ........................................................................................................................................................ 67 3.37 NORTH-EASTERN ROCKY COAST (M58, M59)................................................................................................................................................ 69 4 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREAS OF GOZO AND COMINO................................................................ 71 4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 71 4.2 MGARR