The government is considering a cap on the new planning tariffs, which are linked to the size of a development.

The tariffs, introduced in July, are substantially higher than previous planning charges after the government removed the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s subsidy.

The possibility of a cap was announced by Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco when he was briefing the media yesterday about a legal notice that will usher in radical changes to the planning process.

The notice is due to be published today.

According to Mepa chairman Austin Walker, the tariff regime has had very little impact on the number of development applications the authority received. He acknowledged there had been a rush of applications before July but Mepa was expecting to finish the year with some 200 applications more than in 2009.

The legal notice will come into force on January 1 and after that day illegal development in protected areas will no longer be sanctioned. In such cases enforcement orders will be executed irrespective of whether the perpetrator files a planning application.

The regulations will introduce a mandatory pre-screening stage for building applications that will give applicants a timeframe for their permit to be issued or rejected. The authority will be obliged to screen the application within four weeks and then issue a sanction letter listing all the documents, studies and possible changes the applicant will have to make before submitting a formal application.

The screening process will also classify applications as simple, complex or major, each carrying a specific timeline by when Mepa will have to deliver a decision. Simple applications should be decided within 12 weeks while major ones can take up to 52 weeks.

The pre-screening process will do away with the current practice of first issuing an outline development permit.

A crucial aspect of the reform is a stop endless reconsiderations of refused permits. It will not be possible for applicants to ask the Mepa board to reconsider a refused application. However, reconsideration can be requested only once to contest any of the conditions attached to a permit.

The right to appeal a decision will still be available.

When permits in outside development zones or scheduled areas are granted, these will be frozen for 30 days so that no work would be able to start before the appeals period is over. If someone appeals, works would have to wait until it is decided.

Applicants will not only be obliged to fix a site notice of their planning application but will also have to inform neighbours by registered post.

Apart from this, the period within which to submit objections will be raised to 20 days from the current 15.

Dr de Marco said the new full-time boards to replace the current Development Control Commissions – another aspect of the reform – will start functioning on December 14, while the new Appeals Board will be in operation from ­January 1.