The revision of the controversial Paceville master plan, which has been in the offing for nearly two years, has been put on hold.
The Planning Authority has decided to wait for the publication of the new Local Plan for the area.
This was confirmed by a PA spokesman when replying to questions sent by The Sunday Times of Malta over the delay in publishing the second version of the master plan.
Launched in September 2016, the original document had to be scrapped in the wake of a public outcry against it, as well as allegations of a potential conflict of interest against UK planning firm Mott MacDonald, which had drafted it.
Three months later, Parliament’s Environment and Development Planning Committee unanimously agreed on the terms of reference for a fresh plan following a public consultation period.
The delay was attributed to discussions on the complexity of specific clauses
At the time, PA executive chairman Johan Buttigieg told The Sunday Times of Malta that the new master plan would be out by April or May 2017. However, the process has been dogged by delays ever since.
No further pronouncements have been made on the matter by the authority, fuelling doubts about whether the revision was still on the cards. Asked for a clarification, a PA spokesman confirmed that the Department of Contracts had kickstarted the procedure to issue the tender for the master plan but acknowledged that the process had taken longer than expected.
While the delay was attributed to “discussions on the complexity of specific clauses” no further details were divulged on the nature of these clauses.
The spokesman said that in view of these complications and the delay in issuing the call, the PA had decided it would be “more appropriate” to wait for the Local Plan review rather than forge ahead with the tendering process.
Read: Nine months on and still no word on Paceville master plan
However, given that the authority would not even say when the new Local Plans would be published, it is anyone’s guess when the revised Paceville master plan will see the light of day.
The revision of the Local Plan has been in the pipeline since 2013, but Planning Minister Ian Borg was noncommittal two months ago when asked in Parliament by Opposition MP Chris Said if the process would be wrapped up by the end of this year.
The exiting plan dates back to 2006 and the new one was originally scheduled to be presented by the end of the following year.
As for the Paceville master plan, it fuelled controversy on a number of fronts. It would have resulted in at least 30 entertainment establishments being driven out of business and a number of residences demolished, as they would have had to make way for new roads and plazas.
The plans also came under fire when it was learnt that Mott MacDonald, the firm commissioned to draft it, was also the leading consultant in the Mercury House towers project on the periphery of Paceville. The master plan sought to shift a proposed plaza from the Mercury House site to St George’s Park, which would have had to be sliced and diced to accommodate the new street layout outlined in the plan.