Beyond glossy brochures

Many families are not at all amused that Government is spending lots of money sending glossy propaganda through their letter boxes telling them how the local plans are enabling everyone to live better. The colour photos on the brochures are impressive. The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) proudly signs off these propaganda sheets with the nice slogan 'MEPA - at your service'.

Families who live in areas where the local plans are being disrupted with new building extensions, new height limitations and changes to the urban conservation area are not impressed with these brochures. They feel that Government and MEPA have done them a disservice by adopting local plans passed hastily last July through Parliament with the extension to building zones.

Residents and local councils feel that these local plans have been drawn up without adequate public consultation. Government and MEPA are saying that they have observed the law. They might have observed it in the letter, but certainly not in spirit.

When Government published the final draft of these local plans in 2001, a period of consultation was allowed. I remember taking part in different meetings organised by residents and local councils to discuss the local plans proposed for the North Harbours area and the North West.

Then for five years nothing more was heard of these local plans. Last July, Government smuggled them hurriedly through Parliament. They were very different from the original drafts and Government did not consult residents and local councils about the new changes and proposals that were included in the adopted version. This makes a total mockery of the consultation process that government and MEPA boast so much about.

MEPA documents declare that in formulating and approving local plans there are consultation processes that are to be followed: "Before undertaking the formulation or review of development plans, the Authority shall give due notice to the public about the matters it intends to consider in this process and give sufficient time to the public to make its contribution to the process. During the formulation of a plan the Authority will consult on a continuous basis with relevant local councils allowing a reasonable time for the councils to provide feedback."

Last August, Mellieha mayor John Buttigieg wrote to MEPA and Environment Minister George Pullicino "deploring the lack of consultation by MEPA on the final draft of the North West published in June 2001 and approved in Parliament (in July 2006)".

MEPA's Code of Practice on Consultation states: "Consult widely throughout the process, allowing a minimum of six weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks for written consultation at least once during the development of the policy." This practice was certainly not followed by MEPA and Government in drawing up and approving the local plans. Consultation happened only once, at the beginning of the process, and certainly not throughout the process. The Code of Practice also states: "Where further consultation takes place on the basis of amendments made in the light of earlier consultation, a shorter period of consultation may also be appropriate".

Government and MEPA allowed five long years to elapse before they approved the local plans. Throughout those five years local councils and residents were left totally in the dark about the drastic changes that were being made to the original 2001 drafts.

Complete travesty

No wonder that many families are feeling betrayed and angry that Government excluded them completely from the drafting of these plans, even in areas which have a direct impact on their life. Many families living in Mellieha have approached me and asked me to raise this issue in Parliament. The arrogant answer I got was that proper consultation had taken place. They refuse to be taken in by this facile remark of Minister Pullicino's.

These families living in Santa Maria Estate and on Mellieha Heights argue that the minister is correct to say that for the draft local plan a period of six weeks were set by MEPA for consultations. After this exercise, that is, as per article 27 (a) the local plans could be approved "for those matters MEPA intended to take" after following article 27 (b) in which six weeks are required for public consultations.

As the draft local plan was shelved, it could still be approved provided that no single change was effected both in the plans and as regards the policies. If there was a single change, that is, if MEPA intended "to take on other matters" the same procedure is to be applied referring to the Development Act Articles 27 (a) and 28 (2).

The families feel that as MEPA had substantially changed the 2001 draft local plans, and no consultations were carried out on these substantial changes, the law has not been honoured at all. Government has approved these local plans without allowing adequate and serious consultation to take place throughout the drawing up process. Local councils are right to feel aggrieved and even other families in Malta and Gozo feel threatened that building policies can be changed without consulting properly those whose lives are going to be disrupted by the new proposals.

In Santa Maria Estate not only Maltese citizens feel let down by Government but also a number of Italians, Dutch, Belgians, British and French. These European Union citizens feel that Malta's development planning process is a mockery. Both Maltese and EU citizens feel that the goalposts have been moved and a number of speculators are going to score well and make millions of liri in the process.

It is very revealing that in the case of Santa Maria Estate, in the area between Tas-Sellum and the bungalow/villa area where no high buildings were to be allowed, two years ago a speculator was already buying a bungalow as if he knew he could turn it into at least 20 flats once the new policies of allowing high building blocks (not allowed by the draft local plan of 2001) was to be introduced in the 2006 approved local plan. This is going to hit badly all the residents who live in villas and bungalows on the adjacent land who have always been obliged to follow building policies for the area.

The same goes for other residents who are being adversely affected one way or another by the new drastic changes included in the approved local plans. While most of the attention was concentrated on the new building extensions proposed by government, the final versions of the local plans were smuggled stealthily through parliament. Government has turned the consultation process on these plans into a complete travesty.

evaristbartolo@hotmail.com