Concerned by the prospects of construction spreading into unbuilt rural and coastal areas, increased building heights and still-undefined land reclamation projects, members of the Guardian of Future Generations have called for current policy initiatives related to land use and construction to be put on hold until they can be integrated in a strategic vision for the next two decades.

“Unbuilt space and unspoilt views are among the scarcest resources of our densely populated country”, said Michael Zammit Cutajar, who chairs the four-member commission established by the Sustainable Development Act of 2012.

“In the interest of the future, these precious resources must be safeguarded now against unwarranted and irreversible intrusion,” he said.

The Guardian members envisage that a comprehensive strategy could be worked out through public consultation and debate by the end of 2014, drawing on economic, social and environmental assessments of different options for urban and rural development. Once the strategy is in place, all planning policies would be reviewed to ensure that they are in conformity with it.

The general mandate of the Guardian of Future Generations is to advocate sustainable development in public debate and in government policy, aiming to keep Malta’s long-term economic, social and environmental interests in focus.

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