The new Planning Authority seems to be divesting itself of all environmental responsibility, Din l-Art Helwa in its comments to the government on the proposed demerger of the authority.
The organisation asked to present its views to the Parliamentary Committee for the Consideration of Bills when it convened to discuss the three new Bills after the summer recess.
As land use is one of the main environmental pressures in Malta, Din l-Art Helwa believes planning and the environment should be tackled holistically. Environmental expertise was central to planning decisions, it said.
“Safeguarding the environment must remain one of the duties of the new Planning Authority,” Din l-Art Helwa insisted.
It said a full study should have been carried out to assess the regulatory and environmental impact of the proposed demerger, prior to taking a decision on whether to separate the environment from the planning function.
“The proposed legislation does not offer any environmental benefits. The involvement of environmental expertise during the processing of planning applications will decrease and no additional environmental safeguards in the planning system are being proposed to replace this
“It will be easier to build in environmentally sensitive areas and it will be easier to sanction illegal development in these sensitive areas. Only speculators should be happy with the proposed legislation as over time everyone else - including even bona fide property developers - will lose out as Malta’s countryside and urban environment is ruined.”
Din l-Art Helwa said the proposed system was manifestly less transparent than the existing set up, with far too much power vested in a smaller, politically appointed executive body and executive chairman.
Much of the autonomy and transparency of the present board was being removed. Furthermore, the system as proposed would result in too much emphasis being placed on the appeals stage, which should only be a measure of last resort.
“The role and function of the proposed executive chairperson should therefore be reviewed, and the executive council should include independent members. The functions of the chief executive officer should remain distinct from those of the chairman. The supervisory role of the Parliamentary Committee for the Environment and Development should be increased.
“In line with expectations, the new laws should have introduced greater environmental protection, greater transparency and greater autonomy and accountability. Instead, the opposite has happened with many of the gains in these areas in recent years being reversed in these proposed Bills.”
Din l-Art Helwa’s full comments can be viewed on the organisation’s website.