Scheme to create more industrial land

A scheme was launched yesterday in a bid to create enough industrial land to meet demand.

The scheme, launched by parliamentary secretary in the Economic Services Ministry Edwin Vassallo, takes the form of a private-public partnership.

The partnership will "facilitate and hasten the process in the identification and building of new industrial zones for the self-employed and small business".

Suitable land would be identified by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the premises would have to be constructed within a year of the issue of the necessary permits.

Mr Vassallo said that through the scheme, the government was seeking to solve a problem which had been felt by several self-employed people for many years.

Such a scheme was intended to create enough industrial land to meet demand, lowering both the price of land and rent.

MEPA said it had identified over 282,000m2 of land which could be developed into parks for micro-enterprises.

A total of 17 sites were identified by the authority following a request by government to ensure an equitable distribution of industrial land for micro-enterprises that would be immediately available for development.

The move was expected to facilitate the formation of new micro-enterprises and boost this important sector of the Maltese economy.

MEPA said that an SMEs (Micro Enterprises) Site Selection Exercise had reviewed the land allocated for micro-enterprise development through the local planning process.

The land allocated was found to be unevenly distributed and particularly lacking in the North West, Grand Harbour and North Harbours local plan areas.

The exercise addressed this problem by proposing 17 sites which could provide space for up to 2,200 units.

Some of the sites fell outside the temporary provisions schemes and the exercise necessitated a partial review of the structure plan.

MEPA was proposing that the land allocated for micro-enterprises be released for development over a five-year period.

It published a detailed report explaining the objectives and methodology applied throughout the exercise as well as detailed maps of the sites identified.

Mr Vassallo said he had been working with MEPA on the exercise for the past three years.

While it was being held, the Institute for the Promotion of Small Enterprise was also drawing up a report known as Micro Enterprise Study which confirmed the serious lack of industrial space.

He said that a proposal would also be moved in Parliament for the structure plan to include land on which industrial zones could be built.

Copies of the MEPA's public consultation draft of the SMEs Site Selection Exercise are available at the MEPA offices in Floriana and on www.mepa.org.mt.

Submissions and comments are to be addressed to: the Director of Planning, SMEs (Micro Enterprises) Site Selection Exercise (public consultation), Malta Environment and Planning Authority, St Francis Ravelin, Floriana. The closing date for public consultation is October 4.