The construction sector can take a lead in raising standards for the whole country, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today.
Speaking during a meeting with the Malta Developers Association, Dr Busuttil said one should not view construction as a driver of economic growth without considering quality of life.
The party, he said, had three proposals for the sector. They were:
* to provide incentives, including a reduction in the capital gains tax, to help properties reach the highest levels of energy efficiency;
* to provide fiscal incentives for construction companies to upgrade environmental standards and achieve excellence; and to
* undertake the greatest ever investment in infrastructure - from pavements to roads.
Dr Busuttil noted that places such as Marsa and Qawra were crying out for urban regeneration. A Nationalist government would be open to lowering taxes to reach higher standards.
It would also devise a multi-year master plan, which would include investment in an alternative public transport system.
“If we don't take clear decisions now, we will end up paralysed,” he said adding that the Nationalist Party was proposing a tram system.
Such a system, he said, was proven to shift people from using private to public transport.
On the Malta-Gozo tunnel, he said that if studies showed that such a tunnel was geologically feasible, it should be explored.
Malta Developers Association president Sandro Chetcuti said the sector was experiencing a boom but it could not overreach.
His association was monitoring the situation to ensure developers would not be hurt.
“Part of our work is preparing for a peak. A lot of demand is being driven by foreign workers. There is also the issue of there being few investment opportunities other than in property,” he said.
Mr Chetcuti also said that public land should not be sold at under market value as this was greatly damaging private investors. He said that although there was a need for this in the past to kick start the construction industry, the sector was currently struggling to keep up with demand.
He welcomed the government’s ambition and enthusiasm to undertake certain projects, but noted that without investment in infrastructure, everything would collapse.