Updated 1.10pm with Marlene Farrugia's reaction
Planning experts have poured cold water over a proposal by MP Marlene Farrugia for a referendum on high-rise developments following the approval of controversial towers in Mrieħel and Sliema.
“Planning policies are often controversial by their nature but once you start submitting things to a referendum it becomes impossible to regulate,” former planning authority chief executive, Ian Stafrace, told the Times of Malta.
“The high-rise policy is an important one, but SPED [Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development] is far more important and that didn’t pass through a referendum,” Dr Stafrace said, adding there were other pressing issues which were more important.
“Planning policies are often controversial by their nature but once you start submitting things to a referendum it becomes impossible to regulate
Another planning expert, who asked not be named, went further, insisting that, while the notion of a referendum showed good intentions, it would prove unworkable in practice.
The expert argued that it would be impossible even to formulate a valid referendum question on the subject and said it would be more productive to focus on the problems of infrastructure surrounding high-rises than to take the whole high-rise policy, approved two years ago, back to a referendum.
Dr Farrugia, leader of the new Partit Demokratiku, last week called for a consultative referendum before any new high-rise projects were approved.
The call came amidst a public outcry after the Planning Authority approved two controversial high-rise projects: a set of four interlinked towers in Mrieħel and the 38-storey Townsquare development in Sliema.
“The government has no mandate to transform the face and character of Malta and render it unrecognisable and soulless,” Dr Farrugia said. “There is no national economic, aesthetic, environmental, social, sustainability master plan. If Labour wants to go down that road it should seek an electoral mandate.
“If it is in a hurry there should be a consultative referendum before any such phalluses are given the green light. Meanwhile, a moratorium on such developments should be in place. Imposition is not acceptable,” she said.
Her proposal was immediately taken up by Sliema local councillor Michael Briguglio, former chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika, who called on the Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition to state their position.
Environmental organisations have repeatedly called for a temporary halt to high-rise projects until a national master plan is drawn up, warning that applications are being considered in isolation with no view to their cumulative impact.
In June, the government agreed to put all applications in the Paceville area on hold until a local master plan had been drawn up.
In contrast, however, the Mrieħel towers approved earlier this month were given the go-ahead even while a public consultation on a similar master plan for the area continues.
Marlene Farrugia: 'an onslaught'
In a reaction this afternoon, MP Dr Farrugia said she agreed that planning policies should be determined by a team of experts, after the necessary studies and consultations were completed.
Long-term planning should be the overarching consideration, before any short or medium-term decisions are taken.
"A referendum is definitely not the way to determine planning policies, in a normal western democracy. A potential government's duty is to explain clearly to its electorate where it wants to take the country and how ,with regards to planning matters, so that an informed electorate can decide for its country."
But, she said, the electorate was given a completely different impression about the government's planning and environmental intentions.
"None of us expected this onslaught on our country's character. None of us expected our government to adopt this cowboy attitude and rush into allowing such high-rise developments without the necessary national masterplan that clears our doubts with regards to economic, infrastructural, environmental and social sustainability.
It is in such a scenario that it is obvious that our government is not driven by national interests but by private interests, that the people should be called to step in and block a government's rampage of their lives and heritage, she said.
How else can we stop this government before it inflicts more irreversible damage on our country?- Marlene Farrugia
People could exert their democratic powers to decide on a way forward, either in a referendum or in a general election, she said.
"How else can we stop this government before it inflicts more irreversible damage on our country?"
Referring to a comment by Dr Stafrace that the relevant policy was approved, she asked when and how the high-rise policy was approved.
"It was neither discussed in the plenary (in parliament) nor in the Standing Parliamentary Committee for Development Planning and Environment," she said.