Planning Authority set on giving early Christmas gift to developers
15 organisations are calling on the public to immediately object to the Planning Authority’s (PA) decision to give an early Christmas gift to law-breaking developers, a legal amendment that will wipe out Outside Development Zone (ODZ) boundaries and regularise more illegal development.
The public consultation sham, amounting to a ridiculous 14-day period, will close on 21 November, meaning that the public’s objection to this atrocious scheme is as urgent as it can possibly be. Representations are to be sent to regularisation.amendments@pa.org.mt.
With the PA’s proposed amendments to the 2016 Regularisation of Existing Development Regulations, a scheme which was supposed to last only two years but was extended indefinitely, developers who built on sites which are “partially” in ODZ will now also be able to pay a fine to legalise their irregularities.
While the original 2016 regularisation scheme only accepted sites within development boundaries, the new scheme refers to sites which encroach on ODZ and will also include illegal development which goes against policies.
Policies which are supposed to prevent such development from being allowed will now be overruled by developers seeking to regularise their illegal developments in exchange for a paltry fine.
This allows developers to put their previously illegal properties on the market since banks would then be in a position to finance agreements when they otherwise would not do so.
The new ODZ scheme even allows for properties that were served with enforcement notices predating 2016 as long as the developer has a pre-2016 permit in hand. Different to other planning applications, regularisation requests are not published, people cannot send their objections during a representation period, and the decisions of the Planning Commission on these applications cannot be appealed.
Rather than closing down the 2016 regularisation scheme as was originally promised, the government has instead decided to further widen its already contested scope. While its lenient readings of its own policies and its failure to enforce rules have already weakened ODZ boundaries over the years, the PA is now going to fuel more ODZ development if the amendment becomes law.
The PA states that the widening of the scope of the scheme is intended to accommodate “certain property owners” who “are not able to place on the market, or acquire a bank loan for their property, due to an irregularity which is non sanctionable, and took place before 2016”.
While it’s ridiculous that we even have to say this out loud, we must point out that the PA’s function isn’t to enable business in the property market but to commit to its planning policies and ensure developers fall in line with policies meant to safeguard the environment.
What is even more shameful is that the Labour Party, headed by former PA lawyer and current prime minister Robert Abela, had promised stricter controls on ODZ development during this year’s general election.
Should this amendment be approved, the scheme will do the exact opposite and allow developers who have repeatedly ignored ODZ boundaries to get legal approval for the daylight robbery of non-developed spaces.
According to a report published by the Times of Malta, more than 19,500 regularisation applications were filed since the original scheme was launched in 2016.
With this amendment, we are set to see legal approval for thousands of additional illegal developments. Our ODZ boundaries must be protected, and we insist that this amendment must not be allowed to go through.
Organisations
1. ACT Malta
2. Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura
3. BirdLife Malta
4. Din l-Art Ħelwa
5. Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA)
6. Friends of the Earth Malta
7. Għaqda għall-Ġustizzja, Ugwaljanza u Paċi
8. Għawdix
9. Malta Youth in Agriculture (MaYA)
10. Moviment Graffitti
11. Nature Trust – FEE Malta
12. Ramblers’ Association Malta
13. Rota
14. The Archaeological Society Malta
15. Wirt Għawdex
15-il għaqda allarmati dwar ir-regolarizzazzjoni tal-illegalitajiet fl-ODZ
L-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar mistennija tagħti rigal tal-Milied kmieni lill-iżviluppaturi
15-għaqda qed jappellaw lill-pubbliku biex immedjatament joġġezzjona għad-deċiżjoni tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar (PA) li tagħti rigal bikri tal-Milied lill-iżviluppaturi li jiksru l-liġi permezz ta’ emenda legali li tħassar il-konfini ta’ Outside Development Zones (ODZ) u tirregolarizza aktar żvilupp illegali.
Il-konsultazzjoni pubblika falza, li tammonta għal perjodu redikolu ta’ 14-il jum, se tagħlaq fil-21 ta’ Novembru, li jfisser li l-oġġezzjoni tal-pubbliku għal din l-iskema atroċi hija urġenti kemm tista’ tkun. Ir-rappreżentazzjonijiet għandhom jintbagħtu fuq regularisation.amendments@pa.org.mt.
Bl-emendi proposti mill-PA għar-Regolamenti dwar ir-Regolarizzazzjoni ta’ Żvilupp Eżistenti tal-2016, skema li kellha ddum sentejn biss iżda li ġiet estiża b’mod indefinit, l-iżviluppaturi li bnew fuq siti li huma “parzjalment” f’ODZ issa se jkunu jistgħu jħallsu multa biex jillegalizzaw l-irregolaritajiet tagħhom.
Filwaqt li l-iskema ta’ regolarizzazzjoni oriġinali tal-2016 aċċettat biss siti fil-konfini tal-iżvilupp, l-iskema l-ġdida tirreferi għal siti li jidħlu fuq ODZ u se tinkludi wkoll żvilupp illegali li jmur kontra l-politiki tal-ippjanar.
Il-politiki li suppost jipprevjenu tali żvilupp milli jitħalla jsir issa se jiġu annullati minn żviluppaturi li qed ifittxu li jirregolarizzaw l-illegalitajiet tagħhom bi skambju għal multa żgħira.
Dan jippermetti lill-iżviluppaturi jqiegħdu fis-suq il-proprjetajiet tagħhom li qabel kienu illegali peress li l-banek imbagħad ikunu f’pożizzjoni li jiffinanzjaw ftehimiet li qabel ma kinux jistgħu jiġu finanzjati.
L-iskema l-ġdida tal-ODZ tippermetti anke regolarizzazzjoni ta’ proprjetajiet li ġew notifikati b’avviżi ta’ infurzar qabel l-2016 sakemm l-iżviluppatur ikollu permess ta’ qabel l-2016 f’idejh. Differenti għal applikazzjonijiet oħra ta’ l-ippjanar, talbiet ta’ regolarizzazzjoni mhumiex ippubblikati, in-nies ma jistgħux jibagħtu l-oġġezzjonijiet tagħhom matul perjodu ta’ rappreżentanza, u d-deċiżjonijiet tal-Kummissjoni tal-Ippjanar dwar dawn l-applikazzjonijiet ma jistgħux jiġu appellati.
Minflok ma jagħlaq l-iskema ta’ regolarizzazzjoni tal-2016 kif kien imwiegħed oriġinarjament, il-gvern iddeċieda li jkompli jwessa’ l-ambitu diġà kkontestat tagħha. Filwaqt li l-qari laxk tal-politiki u n-nuqqas ta infurzar diġà dgħajfu l-konfini tal-ODZ matul is-snin, il-PA issa se tħeġġeġ aktar żvilupp illegali fl-ODZ jekk din l-emenda ssir liġi.
Il-PA tgħid li t-twessigħ tal-ambitu tal-iskema huwa maħsub biex jakkomoda “ċerti sidien ta’ proprjetà” li “ma jistgħux iqiegħdu fis-suq, jew jakkwistaw self bankarju għall-proprjetà tagħhom, minħabba irregolarità li mhix sanzjonabbli, u li seħħet qabel l-2016”.
Filwaqt li huwa redikolu li jkollna ngħidu dan, ikollna nirrimarkaw li l-funzjoni tal-PA mhix li tippermetti n-negozju fis-suq tal-proprjetà iżda li żżomm mal-politiki tal-ippjanar tagħha u tiżgura li l-iżviluppaturi jkunu konformi mal-politika maħsuba biex tissalvagwardja l-ambjent.
Iktar tal-mistħija huwa l-fatt li l-Partit Laburista, immexxi mill-eks avukat tal-PA u Prim Ministru attwali Robert Abela, kien wiegħed kontrolli aktar stretti fuq l-iżvilupp f’ODZ waqt l-elezzjoni ġenerali ta’ din is-sena.
Jekk din l-emenda tiġi approvata, l-iskema tagħmel eżattament l-oppost u tippermetti lil żviluppaturi li kemm-il darba injoraw il-konfini tal-ODZ jiksbu approvazzjoni legali għas-serq sfaċċat ta’ spazji li suppost ma jistgħux jiġu żviluppati.
Skont rapport ippubblikat mit-Times of Malta, ġew ippreżentati aktar minn 19,500 applikazzjoni ta’ regolarizzazzjoni minn meta tnediet l-iskema oriġinali fl-2016.
B’din l-emenda, se naraw l-approvazzjoni għal eluf ta’ żviluppi illegali oħra. Il-konfini ODZ tagħna jridu jiġu mħarsa, u ninsistu li din l-emenda m’għandhiex titħalla tgħaddi.
Għaqdiet
1. ACT Malta
2. Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura
3. BirdLife Malta
4. Din l-Art Ħelwa
5. Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA)
6. Friends of the Earth Malta
7. Għaqda għall-Ġustizzja, Ugwaljanza u Paċi
8. Għawdix
9. Malta Youth in Agriculture (MaYA)
10. Moviment Graffitti
11. Nature Trust – FEE Malta
12. Ramblers’ Association Malta
13. Rota
14. The Archaeological Society Malta
15. Wirt Għawdex
