UĦM proposals for Mepa reform

In its proposals, UĦM presented recommendations focused on six aspects, namely:

1. Organisational values - Mepa should conduct an internal exercise in order to identify its core values and embrace these values with integrity and tenacity;

2. Organisational relationships - Mepa needs to establish and maintain good communication with its internal and external customers. In its relationship with external customers (architects, consultants, the general public, NGOs etc) Mepa needs to focus on educating, informing, serving and regulating as appropriate. On the other hand, in dealing with its employees, Mepa must improve its mechanisms for training and career development as well as communication on internal procedures and ownership of strategic objectives;

3. Services - UĦM emphasises the importance of identifying Mepa's different customer segments and responding to their individual needs;

4. Structure - Mepa's structure should be developed on the basis of the services it needs to provide so as to ensure that the structure is flexible enough to accommodate such needs and is customer-oriented;

5. Systems - a number of changes to current systems were proposed:

a. enforcement - the two main proposals were for Mepa to have a separate enforcement function for planning and environment and to practise enforcement at every building stage; and

b. EPD - revisiting its structure and addressing its HR deficit.

6. Legislation - a series of amendments to the DPA were proposed including:

a. amending the DPA so as not to leave room for interpretation;

b. banning, by law, development in ODZ;

c. banning applications which are not according to UCA, floor area ratio (major projects) and local plans;

d. placing the onus of responsibility for the establishment of ODZ on the government with input from Mepa and other stakeholders;

e. effecting changes to current DCC structures including the establishment of two full-time DCCs which are independent from Mepa, have their own budget, with members being external to Mepa and featuring representation of ENGOs and higher involvement of the public in the DCC process; and

f. changing the current appeals board by establishing it as an independent tribunal forming part of the Courts of Malta.