Planning Bills will give unchecked power to the PA and developers, while disempowering the people

On Monday, 28 July, Friends of the Earth Malta, together with Moviment Graffitti and several other organisations (listed below), held a press conference in front of Parliament to call for the immediate withdrawal of two alarming Bills put forward by the Government last week. The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Development Planning Act and the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal Act.

While Prime Minister Robert Abela is attempting to present these Bills as the long-promised and much-needed reform of the appeals system, in truth, these amendments go far beyond the appeals framework and will effectively dismantle existing safeguards in the planning legislative framework.

The organisations stressed that these new amendments to planning laws are highly dangerous and represent a wishlist dictated by developers. No wonder the government repeatedly refused to consult with NGOs and the public, instead presenting the Bills – already finalised – mid-summer.

The organisations emphasised that this is not a partisan issue. In fact, many figures within the Labour Party are shocked by these amendments and do not agree with them.

Among other measures, the proposed amendments will:

Give the Planning Authority (PA) and the Minister for Planning the power to take arbitrary decisions at their sole discretion. As a result, existing rules and plans will be stripped of all legal authority. The PA and the Minister will be able to create new rules, issue new policies without consultation, depart from existing policies, regularise illegalities, alter permitted building heights and ODZ areas, and reactivate expired permits.

Policies issued at the PA’s and Minister’s discretion will no longer be required to conform to Local Plans, meaning that anything can change overnight, since the law will begin to recognise only the most recently issued policy, disregarding all existing ones.

Severely restrict the public’s right to appeal. The obstacles being introduced will make it nearly impossible for citizens to exercise their right since the appeal submission period is being cut to just 20 days, which is unrealistic; appeals must be based solely on legal points raised in the original objection; and appellants may be fined €5,000 if the Tribunal deems the appeal frivolous or unfounded, without the right to appeal this decision.

The Courts will no longer be able to annul an irregular permit issued by the PA, and may only send the decision back to the Tribunal — a body lacking any independence. Moreover, if the Court fails to issue a judgment within five months, any construction carried out after that period can no longer be considered illegal.

The organisations stressed that these new laws, which aim to dismantle entirely the existing legal structures that provide even minimal decency in the planning sector, will lead to disaster for the country and the future of our children.

In light of this deeply troubling situation, the organisations reiterated their call for the immediate withdrawal of these drafts and the initiation of a transparent and inclusive consultation process through a White Paper.

Organisations
Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Friends of the Earth Malta
Għawdix
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust – FEE Malta
Ramblers Association
Wirt Għawdex

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L-abbozzi tal-ippjanar se jagħtu poter bla kontroll lill-PA u l-iżviluppaturi, filwaqt li jneħħu id-drittjiet tan-nies

Nhar it-Tnejn, 28 ta’ Lulju, Friends of the Earth Malta flimkien ma’ Moviment Graffitti u diversi organizzazzjonijiet oħra (elenkati hawn taħt), organizzaw konferenza stampa quddiem il-Parlament, fejn appellaw għall-irtirar immedjat ta’ żewġ Abbozzi ta’ Liġi allarmanti ppreżentati mill-Gvern il-ġimgħa li għaddiet. Il-leġiżlazzjoni proposta għandha l-għan li temenda l-Att dwar l-Ippjanar għall-Iżvilupp u l-Att dwar it-Tribunal ta’ Reviżjoni tal-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar.

Filwaqt li l-Prim Ministru Robert Abela qed jipprova jippreżenta dawn l-abbozzi bħala r-riforma tant meħtieġa – u li kien ilu tant iwiegħed – fil-liġi tal-appelli, dawn l-abbozzi fil-fatt imorru ferm lil hinn mir-riforma fil-ligi tal-appelli, u se jwasslu effettivament fit-tħassir tas-salvagwardji eżistenti fil-qafas leġiżlattiv tal-ippjanar.

L-għaqdiet saħqu li dawn l-emendi ġodda fil-liġijiet tal-ippjanar huma perikolużi ħafna u jirrappreżentaw lista ta’ dak li jridu l-iżviluppaturi. Mhux ta’ b’xejn li l-Gvern ripetutament irrifjuta milli jikkonsulta mal-għaqdiet, u preżenta l-abbozzi lesti issa, f’nofs is-sajf.

Din mhijiex xi kwistjoni partiġġana, saħqu l-għaqdiet: fil-fatt, bosta figuri fil-Partit Laburista jinsabu xxukkjati b’dawn l-emendi u ma jaqblux magħhom.

Forst miżuri oħra, dawn l-emendi se:

Jagħtu s-setgħa lill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar u lill-Ministru għall-Ippjanar li jieħdu deċiżjonijiet arbitrarji skont id-diskrezzjoni tagħhom b’tali mod li r-regoli u l-pjanijiet eżistenti se jitilfu s-saħħa legali kollha li għandhom. Il-PA u l-Ministru se jkunu jistgħu jagħmlu regoli ġodda, joħorġu politiki ġodda mingħajr konsultazzjoni, jiddevjaw minn politiki eżistenti, jirregolarizzaw l-illegalitajiet, ibiddlu l-għoli permess tal-bini u ż-żoni fl-ODZ, u jerġgħu jattivaw permessi skaduti.

Politiki maħruġa skont id-diskrezzjoni tal-PA u l-Ministru mhux se jkunu meħtieġa jikkonformaw mal-Pjanijiet Lokali – li jfisser li kollox jista’ jinbidel mil-lejl għan-nhar, peress li l-liġi se tibda tirrikonoxxi s-setgħa tal-aħħar politika li tkun inħarġet u tinjora l-oħrajn eżistenti.

Jirrestrinġu b’mod sever id-dritt tal-pubbliku li jappella. L-ostakli li se jiġu introdotti fil-proċess tal-appelli se jagħmluha ħafna drabi impossibbli għall-poplu biex jeżerċita d-dritt tal-appell: il-perjodu ta’ żmien għas-sottomissjoni tal-appelli ġie ridott għal 20 jum, li mhuwiex realistiku; l-appelli issa jridu jkunu bbażati biss fuq punti legali li ġew imqajma fl-oġġezzjoni inizjali; u l-appellanti jistgħu wkoll jeħlu multa ta’ €5,000 jekk it-Tribunal jiddeċiedi li l-appell huwa frivolu u infondat, mingħajr dritt għal appell min din id-deċiżjoni.

Ineħħu s-setgħa tal-Qorti li tħassar permess irregolari maħruġ mill-PA. Se tkun tista’ biss tibgħat lura d-deċiżjoni għand it-Tribunal, li huwa korp nieqes minn kwalunkwe awtonomija. Barra minn hekk, jekk il-Qorti ma taqtax is-sentenza tal-appell fi żmien 5 xhur, kwalunkwe bini li jsir wara dak iż-żmien ma jistax jitqies bħala illegali.

L-għaqdiet saħqu li dawn il-liġijiet ġodda, li jridu jżarmaw għalkollox l-istrutturi legali eżistenzi li jassiguraw ftit diċenza fil-qasam tal-ippjanar, se jwasslu għal diżastru għal pajjiżna u l-futur ta’ wliedna.

Fid-dawl ta’ din is-sitwazzjoni inkwetanti, l-għaqdiet tennew l-appell tagħhom biex dawn l-abbozzi jiġi rtirati minnufih, u jitnieda proċess trasparenti u inklussiv ta’ konsultazzjoni permezz ta’ White Paper.

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