The planning authority has overseen the introduction of “no fewer than 14” new development policies since Labour’s return to power, according to Planning Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon.
The new policies, which are either concluded or about to be finalised, are being introduced prior to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED). SPED should regulate the management of land and sea resources until 2020.
Dr Falzon praised Mepa’s efficiency in ushering in the policies, saying it was a sign of its new proaction.
“This shows Mepa is no longer reactive... but can address the needs of the sector. We could have decided to wait for SPED and leave a lacuna in policies needed,” he told a press conference during which Mepa’s latest policy allowing hotels to build an additional two floors was released.
The revised policy that was rolled out for public consultation last April is intended to “facilitate the vertical extension of hotels” rated as three star or above by the Malta Tourism Authority.
The aim is to help hotels increase their “profitability and competitive edge”, although a list of conditions has to be met, according to Mepa.
Some hotels may even qualify for a permit that allows more than two floors if the site area is at least 5,000 square metres and surrounded by existing or planned roads. Hotels that are “stand alone buildings” may also be eligible for more than two additional floors.
Hotels located within a scheduled area, outside development zone (ODZ), on a ridge edge or within urban conservation areas are not eligible.
Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said Malta’s tourism product needed a boost in quality “and there is no better time to introduce this policy than now”.
He said the country welcomed more than 200,000 tourists last July – equivalent to half the population – presenting challenges that had to be addressed.
This was confirmed by the MTA’s CEO, Paul Bugeja, who said feedback showed that one out of four tourists was less than satisfied by the service offered.
Yet, NGOs were critical.
Din l-Art Ħelwa board member Petra Caruana Dingli said the government should rethink its strategy of promoting more building to drive the economy.
The main tourist areas are already totally overdeveloped and congested with traffic
“The main tourist areas are already totally overdeveloped and congested with traffic. Building more floors on hotels in all development zones is more likely to create eyesores, not landmarks, in an urban context that seems increasingly haphazard,” Ms Dingli said.
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar said the number of policies being ushered in by Mepa violated the norms of real and meaningful consultation.
The policies introduced over recent months include the tall buildings policy, the revised ODZ policy and policies regulating fuel service stations, fireworks factories and cemeteries.
“Rushing out policies at such speed makes it highly unlikely that the necessary professional studies to justify them have been carried out, while past studies advising against these policies are being ignored,” FAA’s spokeswoman Astrid Vella said.
It was not extra peak-season accommodation that was most needed but increasing the number of tourists who visited during the low season when many hotels were half empty or shut down altogether, according to FAA.
“The policy to raise hotel heights would seem to accommodate individual operators rather than benefiting the industry as a whole,” Ms Vella said.