About 185 cases of illegal development have been addressed through self-compliance in the first two months of this year, according to Mepa CEO Johann Buttigieg.

Mr Buttigieg said the planning authority was focusing on self-compliance rather than issuing enforcement notices and the approach was yielding better results.

Moreover, the strategy also saved Mepa money, since it cost the authority three times as much as it would cost the developer to remove the illegality.

Apart from being less costly, the new approach was proving more effective – and the figures proved it, he said.

“People tend to react better when approached and given a chance to regularise their position. This approach is getting results and it is more effective than issuing an enforcement notice that tends to remain on the shelf,” Mr Buttigieg said.

He was addressing the media following the closure of an illegal scrapyard in Qormi which was one of those that came in line through voluntary compliance.

This did not mean enforcement notices were no longer being issued, he said.

But those responsible for illegal development were given six months to come in line.

If they failed to do that, the authority then proceeded with further action. Planned policy changes also mean that those who eventually face an enforcement notice would also be subject to tough action.

The planning authority was giving priority to those illegalities that caused “injury to amenity”, such as scrapyards, dumping and open plots.

“Practically every week Mepa takes action. Just last week we caught someone dumping waste in a valley and we intervened to stop the abuse,” Mr Buttigieg said.

This time last year, Mepa had a backlog of more than 8,000 pending enforcement cases, some dating back to the early 1990s, on which no action had yet been taken.

This figure does not include the public complaints requiring investigation received since then or the additional enforcement notices issued.