No full development application was submitted by the government for the Castille Square makeover, even though it includes major structural changes to this landmark spot in the capital city.
The planning watchdog gave the green light for the €1.6 million embellishment project through a simple development notification order (DNO). This kind of permit is a legal notice, which exempts a range of generally minor developments from full development permit application procedures.
While certain conditions and criteria must be met, a DNO offers the advantage of fast-track processing.
In the case of the Castille Square project, the DNO took only 24 hours to be processed and was issued on February 17.
The application was filed by Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, chairman of the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, which is overseeing the project together with the Office of the Prime Minister.
Works must be completed by October, in time for the Commonwealth summit a month later.
This tight schedule has raised concerns that the government circumvented planning rules to meet the deadline.
Eyebrows were also raised due to the fact that the planning watchdog is normally very stringent on development applications in urban conservation areas and places of high heritage value such as Valletta. Yet in this case, it only demanded a DNO.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office said the project was in line with Malta Environment and Planning Authority rules and regulations. He also noted that the plans submitted clearly showed the planned makeover.
The project will mean the pedestrianisation of the square by doing away with the existing roundabout and embellishing the area with street furniture, hardstone paving and light fittings.
While the placement of a monument was subject to a public hearing, the Castille Square revamp was given much less importance
The DNO also covers the shifting of two existing monu-ments, one dedicated to patriot Manuel Dimech and the other to former prime minister George Borg Olivier, to a different location within the square.
Ironically, last January, Mepa turned down a full development application for the placement of the Four Knights monument in front of the new Parliament building. Though this was a much smaller development, the application was debated during a public hearing, during which the Mepa board said it felt the bronze monument would not blend well with the surroundings.
Architects who spoke with this newspaper but preferred to remain anonymous accused the planning watchdog of being inconsistent.
“While the placement of a monument was subject to a public hearing, the Castille Square revamp was given much less importance,” an architect remarked.
Alex Torpiano, dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of Malta, expressed surprise that a project at a site of huge historical and architectural value did not warrant a full development permit.
Works include the uprooting and relocation of a number of trees, even though these are not normally covered by a DNO.
However, a Mepa spokesman pointed out that this was allowed in terms of Legal Notice 115 of 2007.
This states that a DNO would suffice if the competent authority, in this case the Environment Protection Directorate, approved the works.
He added that a similar arrangement had been applied for the road works, which will involve the realignment of vehicular access to St Paul Street and the Central Bank area by means of a series of bollards.
In this case, the consent was given by Transport Malta.