Pressures on land resources

What is the trend in units permitted for housing development?

Trends in permissions granted for housing units, as well as total development applications submitted, provide an indication of the pressures on land resources from the construction sector. Between 2010 and 2011 the number of permissions issued for new dwelling units declined by 11 per cent, from 4,444 to 3,955. While 82.8 per cent of all dwelling units permitted were apartments, 2011 registered a decline of 1.2 percentage points in permissions for apartments relative to other dwelling types. There is a sharp drop in the number of permitted apartments between 2007, the peak year with 10,252 permitted apartments, and 2011 were 3,276 apartments received planning permission. During 2011, there was a 24.6 per cent drop in the total number of development applications re­ceived.

For more information see The Environment Report Indicators 2010-2011 at www.mepa.org.mt/teri2010-2011.