Many smaller developments no longer need to submit a traffic impact statement as part of their planning application following a reform of the system, Mepa chairman Vince Cassar said today.

This was done in an effort to do away with unnecessary paper work.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Cassar said the system had not been reformed since it was first introduced more than 20 years ago. Over the years, however, several of the forms had been handed in needlessly prompting the authority to look into the way the system worked.

“We have found a trend were many developments, were carrying out assessments which showed there would be no impact. We have decided to do away with these,” he said.

Last year, 142 impact forms were handed in, of these 42 were unnecessary.

Parts of the old system, based on one used in the UK, did not tally with the Maltese reality, he added. For example, the old system rated the impact of supermarkets and industry to be the same, in the Maltese context, however, supermarkets generated far more traffic.

The reform would see any proposed development that was likely to generate more than 100 vehicle movements per hour, carry out a full impact assessment.

Ordinary residential developments had a trip rate of between 0.8 and 3 vehicle movements per hour.

The size at which a development would need to carry out the assessment was increased for all developments except for food based retail outlets.

The review also introduced a simplified traffic impact form for small developments that would not normally require one, but were located in problematic areas. The authority had discretion to decide when to impose this measure.