The Malta Environment and Planning Authority's decision-making process was temporarily shut down in view of allegations that certain "dubious" cases were about to be decided upon.

The news, which comes in replies to a series of questions sent to the Office of the Prime Minister by The Times, follows this week's announcement that the process will resume on Tuesday, less than two weeks after the original decision to stop planning decisions was taken.

When making the original announcement on March 12, a spokesman for the OPM had told The Times that the decision was made by the Prime Minister as a first step in the reform that was one of the Nationalist Party's electoral pledges.

Representatives of environmental NGOs said they were puzzled by the fact that it would be business as usual at Mepa on Tuesday even if no preliminary changes had been implemented.

To this effect, even Mepa's director-general, Godwin Cassar, said he was "surprised" by this fact, adding that the DCC boards had not even been briefed.

When asked about this situation, the OPM said Mepa had been asked to review all cases that were up for decision to ensure that the law and the policies are observed. "This review was in fact carried out."

Still, Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar spokesman Astrid Vella said she was very concerned the DCC boards seem to be remaining without any changes being implemented. "We feel that fundamental changes are needed to ensure transparency which, at the moment, is severely lacking."

On the same note, Din l-Art Ħelwa president Martin Galea said that, in view of the authority's serious lack of credibility, "brought about by a series of bad decisions in recent high-profile cases", it is important that changes are seen to be done to address this situation.

The Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU's spokesman for development Sandro Chetcuti said his organisation was expecting at least preliminary measures to take place in the interim. "We were even prepared to wait another few weeks and we let this be known in order to see the reform begin."

The government, however, said that it was important that this phase was not lengthened unnecessarily as the authority's decision-making process in planning affects a wide spectrum of people socially and economically, in such areas as promises of sale and bank loans.

"It would therefore have been irresponsible to stall the process for any time longer than was absolutely necessary."

Even the Chamber of Architects reacted to the news that the boards were being reconvened, focusing primarily on the fact that a decision has been taken to have the sittings in the morning.

In a letter it sent to the authority's chairman and which was released to the press, the chamber criticised the fact that it had not been properly consulted on the matter.

The matter, it added, had been brought to its attention during a meeting only the previous Tuesday in which a representative of the chamber specifically asked if a decision had already been taken on the issue or whether it was being consulted. The board's secretary had to get back to the chamber on this matter but instead the decision was announced.

"This lack of consultation has happened many times before," the chamber said, "but we would have thought that, with all this talk of reform, Mepa would have got the message by now that one is not happy with the manner in which it takes decisions".

The measure reduces transparency and the visibility of its own workings, the chamber said, echoing a comment in this sense by the FAA's Ms Vella who said that the fact that sittings will start being held in the morning will mean that fewer people will be able to attend.