The Planning Authority's legislative framework has been reviewed four times since the introduction of the new planning system in 1992 and each review included changes to the plan making process, the authority said this afternoon.

Referring to criticism by the Chamber of Architects yesterday during which it stated that it was unacceptable for local plans to be reviewed in a piecemeal fashion, the authority said that as from the legislative changes of 2001, the need to address the local plan review process had been felt.

Amendments, it said, were introduced to enable minor modifications to local plans at any time. On the other hand, major modifications were allowed but not frequent than two years prior to the previous change.

This provision was further amended in 2010, to specify that the time limit applied only to the reviewed parts and not to the rest of the local plans. The possibility of partial reviews to local plans was retained even in the new Planning Act of 2016.

The authority said that keeping development plans binding for an extended period of time without the possibility of reviews had always created problems to the legislator.

“This is understandable especially when one considers that planning is not static but it is a dynamic tool to address emerging minor issues as efficiently as possible; issues which could not have been foreseen during the preparation of the original plan.

“Within this discussion of partial reviews one needs to distinguish between amendments of strategic significance with wide implications and minor issues affecting a restricted area.”

It said that while it was important that amendments of strategic significance were not carried out frequently, minor reviews could still be carried out when necessary since the planning policy framework within which these reviews are prepared would not be prejudiced.

The authority noted that the minor amendments carried out over the past years did not constitute piecemeal planning as they were still aimed at achieving the wider goals and objectives set in the higher level plans.