A new Business Development Unit within the Planning Directorate is enabling the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to provide a more efficient and business oriented service for applicants who decide to start up or continue to grow their commercial activities.
Details of this initiative and other business-oriented measures were given at a press conference which saw the launch of Businessense, an information campaign to make businesses aware of the increasing number of sustainable planning and development benefits.
One of the first measures the authority introduced was the substantial reduction in fees a business needs to pay when submitting a planning application. On average, planning application tariffs for a proposed commercial development have fallen by 34 per cent. To further encourage businesses to invest and regenerate village cores, works associated with the restoration and rehabilitation of old or scheduled buildings are exempt from having to pay a planning application fee.
To reduce red tape and bureaucracy on development applications, Mepa extended to March 2015 the validity period of all expired planning development permits. It also increased the validity period of a compliance certificate from six weeks to three months.
With a number of development planning policies having become outdated, as they are not reflecting today’s socio-economic and environmental context, over the past months the authority has worked on updating and enacting a number of new planning policies.
The new, updated policies ensure that businesses can work in a climate and planning system that have clearer and simpler policies to allow them to grow in a sustainable manner. Such policies include the publication of a new legal notice regulating the Use Classes Order, the Floor Area Ratio Policy regulating tall buildings and the revision of the Hotel Height Limitation Policy.
Other policies and plans that are relevant to businesses and are being updated include the Structure Plan and Local Plans, the Solar Farm policy, the Development Control Policy and Design Guidance and the Fuel and Service Station Policy.
To further facilitate small scale commercial interventions, without compromising residential amenity, Mepa is favourably considering the change of use of garages for private cars to small scale offices or retail outlets (not more than 50 square metres) so long that the garage forms part of a single dwelling which is not part of a block of apartments and the space in front of the garage can be made available for parking and is not restricted by measures that preclude parking.
A protocol aimed at addressing grey areas encountered during the development control process regarding accessibility for people with mobility problems has been agreed with the National Commission for Persons with Disability. This protocol will facilitate that certain commercial activities will be exempt from the ‘access for all’ regulations.
In the coming weeks, the authority will further enhance the One Stop Shop concept, which will make the procedure and system for applying for a development permit simpler and cheaper.
Instead of having to apply for different clearances at different government departments to get development permission, it will be possible to apply at one source with one payment. Additionally, through the new development planning legislation, a Fast Track application system will also be introduced, whereby development applications that conform to a set of policy criteria within the development zone will be approved within a short period of time.
Furthermore, Mepa continues to welcome suggestions from the public and the business community on how to further reduce bureaucratic procedures and increase efficiency within the authority. These suggestions can be made by calling the co-ordination unit on 2290 2005.
For more information about Businessense measures and initiatives, visit www.mepa.org.mt/businessense.