The planning authority this afternoon denied it had amended any of its policies without consultation.

It referred to a statement by the Malta Developers Association and the Chamber of Architects which said that a recent Mepa circular established new regulations on the development of gardens and courtyards at the back of buildings, the use of basements for residential purposes and the change of use of garages that are part of residential houses.

However, Mepa clarified that to safeguard green open spaces and contribute towards a better overall urban environment, for the first time it quantified that the depth of the built footprint could not exceed 30 metres from the official building alignment.

It said it published a circular because it noticed that, over a period of time, certain policies were being consistently interpreted in a way which cumulatively departed from the intention behind the original strategic policy thrust.

“Mepa identifies three main policy areas where it feels clarification is needed. These include the policy related to the development of gardens and backyards, the residential use of basements and semi-basements and the change of use of small private garages for commercial purposes,” it said.

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