Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this afternoon he was committed to finding a solution that was fair to all about the Armier boathouses issue.

He was questioned by representatives of environmental groups during a meeting at the Excelsior Hotel.

Dr Muscat met the groups to present them with the party's plans to overhaul the planning sector.

The Labour leader referred to a statement by the Prime Minister this morning, that a PN government “will respect and honour its commitments”.

Dr Gonzi had been asked whether the Nationalist Party would be renewing the agreement it had reached with the owners of the Armier boathouses in 2003 and 2008.

Dr Muscat presenting the party's proposals to NGOs. Photo: Jason Borg

Dr Muscat said that if there was an agreement he was not aware of it. He said that a solution that was fair to all could be found and he needed to see what the Prime Minister meant about keeping his word.

Alex Vella from the Ramblers Association and Angelo Camilleri, from Friends of the Earth, spoke about the importance of clarity on the issue. He insisted that the Armier case was an injustice to which there could not be be a just solution.

Dr Muscat insisted that before any decision was taken one had to know the state of facts on the issue.

He referred to the PN's proposal for an amnesty for development irregularities predating the 2008 planning reform and said the proposal was interesting. He did not go into detail.

Labour's planning proposals, announced earlier today, include the setting up of a fund for green groups to finance research on projects they wanted to object to.

Green groups would also have the opportunity to appoint a representative on the planning authority and the separate environment and resources authority.

There would be a short list of people for the position and NGOs would have to work together as one to come up this short list. No individual discussions would be held with groups.

Astrid Vella, from Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar, said she was worried that the proposals did not tackle the main problems raised by the people.

"There are 70,000 plus empty residences and Mepa cannot refuse permits that are within local plans," she said, adding that local plans had to be overhauled to solve this problem. Ms Vella also spoke about the problem of over development.

Dr Muscat said overhauling the local plans was a process the PL wanted to push forward quickly as it was long overdue. The issue of over development would be tackled through the restructuring of the structure plan and local plan.

"We cannot just wait for the structure plan. Fees need to encourage those who are maintaining and restoring their property," he said.

Rudolph Ragonesi asked about enforcement and capacity building, which he said were very important. He also spoke about the need for more information to be available.

Dr Muscat spoke about enforcement which he said was currently a waste of time for both businesses and the government. Labour, he said, would make it a priority.

Hydrologist Marco Cremona said Mepa had the responsibility for monitoring and reporting for air and water. He said he agreed with the proposal that would remove sustainable development from planning.

Dr Muscat said the PL was open to suggestions to ensure that the separation was done well and for consolidation. He said he was willing to give up the political representatives on the board for more checks and balances.

Asked about outside development zones, he said the decision would boil down to negotiations and discussions. However, these would start on the premise that boundaries were not going to be extended.