Mepa reform: A stitch in time

The more one gets into the heart of Mepa's reform, the more one concludes that the currency of this reform is time.

How much time should we give for the process of an application? How much time should we give to stakeholders to give their views? How much time do we need to give experts to draw up their reports?

It is, however, also a matter of enhancing Mepa's much-needed respect, essential for its officials to properly carry out Mepa's functions in establishing the right balance between planning, development and respect for the environment.

Over the past weeks, the Mepa reform team has been working relentlessly to come up with a process that answers questions in a satisfactory manner. The processes we have arrived at give the applicants the assurance of a decision in a reasonable time; gives Mepa enough time to carry out a due process; and, gives interested stakeholders ample opportunity to have their say. We will go public with these processes over the coming weeks.

I do not expect a chorus of approval from all around. Some will argue that we are chipping away too much of their time. The truth is that we all need to contribute towards a more efficient Mepa process. We all need to work within tighter deadlines if we are to cut the time taken to process applications.

The Mepa reform team has also worked on a new law that will be presented to Parliament before the end of this year. This Act will encapsulate the provisions of the two laws that regulate Mepa's operations: the Environment Protection Act and the Development Planning Act. The law, once enacted, will also bring into effect a number of measures contemplated in the Mepa reform process.

Other reform provisions not requiring legal backing are in the process of being implemented. For instance, we have issued calls for persons interested in applying for the positions within the environment and planning commissions and for those interested in applying for positions with the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal.

We have done considerable groundwork on the setting up of a Strategic Development Unit, within the Office of the Prime Minister, and a separate Environment and Planning Policy Unit to assist the chairman of Mepa.

We have set up a commission to examine existing Mepa policies and identify such policies that are obsolete, conflicting or are not practical. This ad hoc commission is expected to present its recommendations to the government by the end of this year.

We started divesting certain Mepa functions to other government authorities, thereby allowing Mepa to concentrate more on its core functions. We drew up a Code of Ethics, which will soon be distributed to all Mepa employees and will also be applicable to the members of the new commissions and tribunal. We are also analysing the list of additional resources that will be needed by the Environment Directorate to carry out its functions more efficiently and effectively.

The reform is also calling for a change in culture. We want to encourage increased dialogue between applicants, architects, objectors and stakeholders and the Mepa directorates, dialogue that takes place in a transparent and open manner. This dialogue will lead to a better decision-making process.

We will also be setting up an Enforcement Directorate to strengthen Mepa's ability to follow through on its decisions. More importantly, the new law will be introducing tougher penalties and restricting the possibility of sanctioning of illegal developments in order to deter illegal developments from taking place at all.

I do not expect Mepa to stop being in the spotlight once these measures have been unveiled, given the sensitive nature of our environment and the fact that reform is, essentially, an ongoing process. One hopes, however, for a continuation of the same spirit that characterised the debate on reform so far. This will happen if we keep in sight our objective, that of having a more sensible and open system of handling and dealing with our environment. Our work may truly be the proverbial stitch in time.

Dr de Marco is Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and is also responsible for Mepa reform.