A structure plan or a spatial strategy?

The government and the opposition yesterday could not arrive at an agreement on whether to adopt a structure plan which needed to be reviewed or introduce the concept of spatial planning.

The issue was raised during the discussion in committee stage of the Environment and Development Planning Bill aimed at implementing the Mepa reform.

Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said there was no difficulty to include the strategic spatial planning concept in the structure plan framework. The structure plan had been set in 1990 for 20 years. Everyone agreed that it needed review, with the contribution of as many stakeholders as possible.

The opposition amendment on spatial planning did not have anything which was diametrically opposed to the structure plan. This plan addressed the holistic aspects of the economy, the environment, resources and transport besides land use, among others.

Government and opposition technical experts could meet so that this concept could also be enshrined in the Bill. Spatial planning was essentially a process.

The opposition's spokesman on the environment, Leo Brincat, said that structure plans were outdated by today's standards. European ministers meeting in Potsdam in 1999 had opted for spatial planning strategies.

The government must present a different planning system within a year. The structure plan was one-dimensional while spatial planning was a team activity. Consideration had also to be given to the social and economic dimensions to make people's lives better. Lack of coordination among government departments, public entities and lack of ownership on development plans drafted by Mepa were creating serious problems. Structure plans served the interests of certain people in certain projects because they encouraged intensive construction.

Mr Brincat declared that, if the government was ready to accept the direction given by European ministers in Potsdam on European spatial development planning, the opposition would give its agreement.

He also said that the government had published some of the submissions laid out in a national plan on spatial planning policies submitted by Mepa only after it had published the Bill.

Parliamentary Secretary de Marco and Mr Brincat agreed to consider integration of the opposition's proposal in the Bill with the government accepting that the relevant clause would then be amended. If no agreement was reached the opposition would present its amendment as proposed.