The planning authority has insisted the consultation process to revise the seven local plans could not be delayed any further.
It expressed surprise that a number of NGOs were requesting the postponement of the consultation when over the past years they were calling on the authority to revise plans they claimed were laden with mistakes.
The NGOs now have every opportunity to highlight their claims, it said.
Instead of having a six-week consultation period, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority started a three-month process where the public could highlight any shortcomings.
Could this change have been dictated by developers’ complaints?” – NGO
It also denied claims made by a group of environment groups that public feedback would be low during summer, saying that “from experience”, the participation in similar initiatives was far from poor.
In separate statements, the groups said revising the plans would have long term and massive impacts on the environment.
Instead, Din l-Art Ħelwa said the public should first be presented with a strategic plan outlining the Government’s intentions and objectives: “It is only against this background that positive and meaningful consultation can take place.”
It pointed out that some failings in the local plans resulted from a lack of adequate attention to the capacity of developed areas, design quality, visual amenity, green spaces in the urban environment, stock of vacant properties and regeneration of historic areas, among other things.
Meanwhile, another six groups said meaningful consultation could only be achieved by increasing public awareness through education campaigns.
However, previous offers made by environment groups to help organise outreach campaigns were turned down, according to a statement signed by Birdlife Malta, Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth, Malta Organic Agricultural Movement, Nature Trust and Ramblers Association.
The planning authority was actively considering replacing the existing seven local plans with three: one exclusive to Gozo and Comino, one for the whole of urban Malta and the other for out of development zones.
This defeated the purpose of local plans, which were intended to tackle the development issues of each area through specific policies not necessarily applicable to other areas, they said.
“Could this change have been dictated by developers’ complaints at having to deal with different policies in each local plan area?” the groups asked.
Over the coming weeks, the authority plans to meet every local council and is organising a series of public and stakeholder meetings. Following this initial phase, the authority will compile new proposed policies that will be issued, once again, for further public consultation.