Mepa reform receives cautious welcome from environmentalists

The Mepa reform blueprint was "good and brave" in some aspects but "watered down" in others, according to environmentalist Alan Deidun, a Nationalist Party candidate in the last European Parliament election.

"I have only skimmed through the document and I have read a lot about the planning process, which is a direct response to people's grievances, but there seems to be much less emphasis on the environmental aspect," Dr Deidun said.

Flimkien għall-Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) spokesman Astrid Vella told The Sunday Times the reform embraced many of the suggestions made by civil society but her organisation had reservations about some aspects.

FAA is particularly concerned about the outcome of applications being processed. She said if the new regulations do not apply to these projects, the country would be facing the "damaging results of the present flawed system for years to come".

The environmental organisation welcomed the obligation on developers to notify residents of their plans by registered post and the appointment full-time Development Control Commission board members.

However, she said: "Given the breadth of the reform and the long-term implications of any planning regulation, each proposal has be studied in depth before FAA can issue a formal response."

Dr Deidun said the original draft could have been watered down in the subsequent Cabinet meetings. He said the environment section required beefing up and there was little to suggest this would happen.

Dr Deidun welcomed the emphasis on enforcement but was concerned about the outcome of the pending enforcement cases.

"The impression I got was that enforcement was a matter that would be dealt with from now onwards and what was done was done. Mepa has a pending enforcement caseload of 7,600, some of which go back as far as 1993.

"I expected to read something about how these pending cases would be dealt with," he said.

As for the Prime Minister's commitment to stamp out Outside Development Zone applications, Dr Deidun said this was an important step but "the proof of the pudding is in the eating".

He said there were still too many applications for new developments in ODZ areas, especially in Gozo. The biologist said the transfer of Mepa's policymaking function to the Office of the Prime Minister was a long overdue move. However, he hoped the policy unit would be staffed by technocrats and not politicians.

"Professionals should be allowed to do their work," Dr Deidun said.

Meanwhile, political-activist group Graffitti said the reform was positive but could have gone much further in environmental protection.

It welcomed the new policy unit directly under government's control and the Prime Minister's commitment to close the noose on ODZ applications, even though little was said on how this would be done.

Graffitti agreed with the appointment of full-time members on the DCC boards but noted that there would be no change in the way these people are appointed.

The group said it was disappointed that the authority's planning and environmental functions would not be split into two separate entities.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com