A Bill safeguarding national, cultural and historical heritage is up for discussion in Parliament, however, no date has been set yet.

Presented in April by shadow ministers Jason Azzopardi, Marthese Portelli and Ryan Callus, the widely-supported Bill regulates the government’s administration of common heritage.

The Public Domain Bill would limit the government on the use of public land and assets. Described as a “quantum leap” in administration, it empowers citizens and NGOs to recommend land and property to be listed as public domain, meaning it cannot be commercialised.

In May, Parliamentary Secretary José Herrera had said the government agreed with the principle of a public domain law and would work with the Opposition on the best way forward.

The Bill has now been published in the Government Gazette, and the next step is for the House Business Committee to set a date for the discussion on the Second Reading.

When contacted, Dr Azzopardi said he hoped the discussion would start soon, following the government’s “largely positive” reaction and “a chorus of approval” from various environmental NGOs.

“I trust the discussion can start in the very near future, ideally as soon as the discussion on the Budget votes is completed. The sooner our Parliament can send a unanimous message of support to the principles underpinning this legislation the better it will be for our environment,” he noted.

When contacted, former Mepa environment director Petra Caruana Dingli said the private member’s Bill, as proposed by Dr Azzopardi, was far-sighted, noting she hoped that it did not get watered down in Parliament.

“It would prevent the commercialisation and guarantee public access to land listed as public domain.

“If the government intends to gift such land to private developers, as it has done at Żonqor, this would at least be subject to parliamentary scrutiny,” she added.