People owed up to €15,000 compensation for expropriated land will be paid by the end of this year, the Parliamentary Secretary for Planning, Michael Farrugia, said yesterday.
The Government owed a total of €80 million as compensation and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had €28 million in debts, Dr Farrugia told a public consultation meeting.
He said that an expression of interest would be issued in the coming weeks in relation to the land reclamation project announced by the Government.
The process of drawing up a new local plan had started because the current one was outdated.
Dr Farrugia said he was consulting permanent secretaries and ministries to gauge the changes Malta would be experiencing within the next 10 years.
Expressing his dismay at seeing old, traditional buildings being demolished and replaced with modern blocks of apartments, he said that those renovating old buildings located within the town centre would be excluded from having to pay application tariffs.
There were too many restrictions hindering certain designs for buildings, which resulted in a country full of buildings that looked like cubes. Architects should be allowed more creative leeway in their designs.
Turning to the large amount of dilapidated, vacant properties in Valletta, Dr Farrugia said he had asked for a report on Government-owned property.
Tenders would shortly be issued to transform such property into small hotels and hostels in a bid to liven up the capital.
Answering questions on emphyteusis, Dr Farrugia said the joint office had 3,300 cases awaiting revision. Officials within the Land Department, Dr Farrugia continued, were being given work incentives in an effort to reach set targets.
Permits issued after August 2006 but where work had not been completed – even after the five-year deadline – would be given an extension until March 31, 2014.
Property owners lacking a full permit would be allowed to make use of the section that adhered to the regulations, on condition that they would set about fulfilling the requirements needed to obtain a full permit.
Dr Farrugia said that the planning appeals tribunal had 500 pending cases and another 500 that had still to be opened.
A second tribunal would be set up to take over new cases, leaving the old one to decide on pending cases.
The Government was also looking into the option of setting up photovoltaic panel farms to reach the EU’s 2020 renewable energy targets.
In an attempt to cut down on the bureaucracy stalling many development processes, Dr Farrugia said that a policy was being drafted outlining the sub-sectioning of scales. It was “unacceptable” that bars and restaurants were graded in the same scale. The new policy would allow for considerably less red tape when, for instance, converting a restaurant into a bar.
“In its defeat report, the Nationalist Party referred to Mepa as a ‘monster’.
“I don’t want it to remain a monster and we’ll be doing our utmost to cut down on bureaucracy and ensure efficiency while balancing the fine line between development and the environment,” Dr Farrugia said.