No sign of promised reform as planning increasingly becoming a developers’ fiefdom

14 organisations are denouncing the failure to reform the law regulating planning appeals, something which was promised by the Prime Minister in May last year, but never materialised.

Currently, developers may be allowed to start construction works covered by permits that are under appeal, leading to several cases of planning permits being revoked for buildings that are already completed. No action is then taken by the authorities to remove these illegalities.

The law allowing works during appeal proceedings is a blatant breach of the fundamental right to legally challenge decision of the Planning Authority (PA). Communities and organisations not only have to carry the financial burden of contesting irregular PA decisions, but they also risk doing so in vain since developers are allowed to build anyway.

Over the past months, the Court revoked permits for swimming pools in Qala’s ODZ, parts of a Sannat development, a Xewkija development, and a Mellieħa hotel, after finding serious breaches of planning law in the issuance of their permits by the PA. All these structures had already been built by the time of their permits’ revocation, and they stand intact to date.

Works on other massive developments, such as Villa Rosa in St. Julian’s and Mistra Village in Xemxija, have started despite ongoing appeals contesting their permits’ legality.

In May last year, Prime Minister Robert Abela had promised changes to the law so that development permits would not be executable until the appeal is decided. But the promised changes have not yet seen the light of day. The Government had only issued a very worrying public consultation which, under the pretext of introducing these long-overdue measures, was in fact seeking to limit the right to appeal. The organisations had officially presented their feedback to this consultation, and nothing more has been heard since.

The organisations note with indignation that while this promised reform – needed to safeguard the very basic right of appellants – has stalled, at the same time Government rushed into proposing amendments to DC15. These amendments aim at allowing developers to build an extra floor, thus increasing crowding, congestion and construction activity across Malta and Gozo. Moreover, developers who had permits revoked for not respecting rules on the allowable number of floors – but had completed their buildings anyway by the end of the appeal proceedings – would now be able to regularise their illegal buildings.

The above points to a deeply rotten planning regime where every decision, at every stage, is taken to favour developers and disempower the people. As a result, our towns, villages and countryside are being ravaged by greed and run by bullies.

We call onto the Prime Minister to immediately usher in the promised reform on suspending the execution of permits whilst appeal proceedings are underway before the Tribunal (EPRT) and the Court of Appeal. This will be one first small, but essential, step in introducing a modicum of decency within our planning system.

Organisations:
Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Friends of the Earth Malta
Għawdix
Grow 10 Trees
Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation (MaYA)
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers’ Association Malta
Rota
The Archaeological Society Malta
Wirt Għawdex

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Għaqdiet jappellaw lill-Prim Ministru sabiex jibdel is-sistema mnawwra tal-appelli fil-qasam tal-ippjanar

L-ebda pass ma ttieħed favur ir-riforma mwiegħda hekk kif il-qasam tal-ippjanar ikompli jsir is-saltna tal-iżviluppaturi

14-il għaqda jikkundannaw in-nuqqas ta’ riforma fil-liġi li tirregola l-appelli fil-qasam tal-ippjanar. Din riforma li wiegħed il-Prim Ministru f’Mejju tas-sena l-oħra u li għadha ma saritx.

Attwalment l-iżviluppaturi jistgħu jibdew xogħlijiet ta’ kostruzzjoni li huma koperti minn permessi li jinsabu taħt appell. Dan bosta drabi wassal għal każijiet fejn jiġu irtirati permessi tal-ippjanar għal binjiet li diġà tlestew. L-awtoritajiet imbagħad ma jieħdux l-azzjoni meħtieġa biex ineħħu dawn l-illegalitajiet.

Il-liġi li tippermetti li jsiru xogħlijiet waqt li għaddejjin proċeduri ta’ appell hija ksur ċar tad-dritt fundamentali li jiġu legalment kontestati deċiżjonijiet tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar (PA). Il-komunitajiet u l-organizzazzjonijiet qegħdin mhux biss ikollhom jerfgħu l-piż finanzjarju sabiex jikkontestaw deċiżjonijiet irregolari tal-PA, iżda jirriskjaw li jagħmlu dan għalxejn peress li l-iżviluppaturi xorta jkunu laħqu bnew.

Matul ix-xhur li għaddew, il-Qorti rrevokat permessi għall-pixxini ODZ fil-Qala, partijiet minn żvilupp f’Sannat, żvilupp fix-Xewkija, u lukanda fil-Mellieħa, wara li nstab ksur serju tal-liġi tal-ippjanar fl-għoti tal-permessi tagħhom mill-PA. Dawn l-istrutturi kollha kienu laħqu nbnew meta ġew irtirati l-permessi tagħhom, u għadhom hemm sal-lum.

Bdew xogħlijiet ukoll fuq żviluppi massivi oħra bħal ta’ Villa Rosa f’San Ġiljan u tal-Mistra Village fix-Xemxija minkejja l-appelli pendenti li jikkontestaw il-legalità tal-permessi tagħhom.

F’Mejju tas-sena l-oħra, il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela wiegħed tibdil fil-liġi biex il-permessi ta’ żvilupp ma jkunux eżekutabbli sakemm jiġi deċiż l-appell. Iżda l-bidliet imwiegħda għadhom ma rawx id-dawl. Il-Gvern nieda minflok konsultazzjoni pubblika inkwetanti li, bl-iskuża li ser jiġu introdotti l-miżuri tant mistennija, fil-fatt kienet qieħgda timmira li tillimita d-dritt għall-appell. L-organizzazzjonijiet taw il-kontribut uffiċjali tagħhom f’din il-konsultazzjoni iżjed ma semgħu xejn iktar minn dakinhar.

L-organizzazzjonijiet jinnutaw b’rabja li filwaqt li l-ħidma sabiex isseħħ din ir-riforma mwiegħda li tħares id-dritt bażiku tal-appellanti ma saritx, il-Gvern ħaffef biex jipproponi emendi fid-DC15. Dawn l-emendi jippermettu li jinbena sular żejjed, u b’hekk iżidu l-ammonti ta’ nies fi spazji żgħar, il-konġestjoni u l-kostruzzjoni f’Malta u Għawdex. Barra minn dan, dawk l-iżviluppaturi b’permessi li ġew revokati għax bnew iktar sulari milli suppost, u li sa ma ntemmu l-proċeduri tal-appell, laħqu bnew li kellhom jibnu, issa se jkunu jistgħu jirregolarizzaw il-bini illegali tagħhom.

Dawn l-elementi kollha jindikaw qasam tal-ippjanar imnawwar, fejn kull deċiżjoni tittieħed sabiex jibbenefikaw l-iżviluppaturi u jkompli jitnaqqar mill-poter tal-poplu. B’riżultat ta’ dan, l-ibliet, l-irħula u l-kampanja tagħna qegħdin ikomplu jiġu mħarbta mir-regħba u jitmexxew mill-bullies.

Nappellaw lill-Prim Ministru sabiex idaħħal minnufih ir-riforma mwiegħda dwar is-sospensjoni tal-eżekuzzjoni tal-permessi waqt li jkunu għaddejjin proċeduri ta’ appell quddiem it-Tribunal (EPRT) u l-Qorti tal-Appell. Dan ikun l-ewwel pass żgħir iżda essenzjali sabiex naslu għal minimu ta’ diċenza fis-sistema tal-ippjanar tagħna.

Għaqdiet:
Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Friends of the Earth Malta
Għawdix
Grow 10 Trees
Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation (MaYA)
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers’ Association Malta
Rota
The Archaeological Society Malta
Wirt Għawdex