Development applications which are in line with local plans and Mepa policies will be approved without the need for further consideration by case officers and the Mepa commissions, thus substantially reducing the workload for Mepa, it was announced today.

The plans were revealed by Dr Michael Farrugia, the parliamentary secretary responsible for Mepa, when speaking in parliament this afternoon.

He said that as a result of these changes,  processes which used to take six months would be decided in a month or less, as long as Mepa was given all the information that was required.

He also said that the government would be evaluating the work of Mepa’s Environment and Planning Commissions (EPC Commissions) and would take actions if decisions made no sense.

One could not have a situation, he aid, where the government gave directions but committees acted differently.

Dr Farrugia also listed the tariff changes which the government is ushering in at Mepa and said that despite the resultant drop in revenue, Mepa’s bottom line was expected to improve because the decreases would encourage more people to submit applications, and increased volume would therefore cover the shortfall. 

(See tariff cuts above and below)

Dr Farrugia said that restoration of properties in village cores would attract no Mepa tariffs as long as no demolition was involved. This, Dr Farrugia said, was aimed at encouraging restoration.

In his address Dr Farrugia said he wanted to flatly deny a claim by former minister George Pullicino that he had stopped the Mepa board from discussing an application for a waste recycling plant at Ghallis.

He also spoke on the land reclamation project, saying the government would issue an call for expressions of interest for private sector involvement through ideas and investment.