Last Tuesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela was busy titillating developers with the prospect of changes to the Local Plans that would open the floodgates for even more construction on every corner of our islands.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister continues to take the Maltese people for a ride with unfulfilled promises of reform in the planning appeals law, which currently allows developers to build without a definitive permit.

This reform was first promised by the Prime Minister as far back as May last year and has been reiterated numerous times since.

Following a press conference outside Castille at the end of August this year, a coalition of NGOs and residents’ groups formally requested an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister and the Planning Minister to discuss two very serious issues. The first is the mushrooming of illegal structures that, despite having their permits revoked by the Court, are often completed while appeals are still underway. The second relates to the Planning Authority’s blatant disregard for Court rulings, with permits being issued for developments already deemed illegal by the Court.

The Planning Minister, Clint Camilleri, responded to this request by rejecting the proposed meeting with the NGOs and failing to even acknowledge the Planning Authority’s defiance of Court rulings.

However, he did promise that by the end of September, a draft reform of the appeals law would be presented to the NGOs. It is now late November, and there is still no sign of this long-overdue reform.

Residents and organisations continue to shoulder the burden of challenging the Planning Authority’s abusive decisions in court. Yet, even these efforts are often rendered futile, as developers are allowed to proceed with construction in the interim, and no action is taken to remove illegal structures after their permits are revoked.

This has led to a proliferation of illegal buildings across Malta and Gozo, such as Joseph Portelli’s illegal pools in Qala’s ODZ and his unlawful penthouses in Sannat.

The Government’s refusal to reform such a blatantly unjust provision within the law, while simultaneously bending over backwards to serve developers’ interests, is truly alarming. By prioritising private profits over governance, the Government is shamelessly trashing our quality of life, undermining our democracy, and sacrificing our islands to the forces of greed.

Organisations
Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Għawdix
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers’ Association Malta
Wirt Għawdex
The Archaeological Society Malta

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Il-Prim Ministru għal darb’oħra jonqos milli jirriforma l-appelli tal-ippjanar u jirrifjuta li jiltaqa’ mal-NGOs

Nhar it-Tlieta li għadda, il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela mar ixennaq lill-iżviluppaturi bl-idea ta’ bidla fil-Pjanijiet Lokali li tiftaħ il-bibien beraħ għall-bini f’kull rokna tal-gżejjer tagħna.

Intant, il-Prim Ministru daħaq bil-poplu Malti b’wegħdiet ta’ riforma fil-liġi tal-appelli tal-ippjanar li ma żammx. Din il-liġi bħalissa tippermetti lill-iżviluppaturi jibnu mingħajr permess definittiv.

Ir-riforma ġiet imwiegħda għall-ewwel darba mill-Prim Ministru f’Mejju tas-sena l-oħra u minn dak iż-żmien ’l hawn ġiet riaffermata bosta drabi.

Wara konferenza stampa barra Kastilja fl-aħħar ta’ Awwissu ta’ din is-sena, koalizzjoni ta’ NGOs u gruppi ta’ residenti talbu formalment laqgħa urġenti mal-Prim Ministru u l-Ministru tal-Ippjanar biex jiddiskutu żewġ kwistjonijiet serji ħafna. L-ewwel waħda hija l-istrutturi illegali dejjem ifaqqsu, sturtturi li minkejja li l-permessi tagħhom jiġu revokati mill-Qorti, ħafna drabi jilħqu jitlestew waqt li jkunu għadhom għaddejjin l-appelli. It-tieni kwistjoni tittratta n-nuqqas ta’ rispett mill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar lejn is-sentenzi tal-Qorti, b’permessi għal żviluppi diġà meqjusa illegali mill-Qorti maħruġa xorta waħda.

Il-Ministru tal-Ippjanar, Clint Camilleri, wieġeb għal din it-talba billi ċaħad il-laqgħa proposta mal-NGOs u naqas li saħansitra jirrikonoxxi l-fatt li l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar qed tmur kontra s-sentenzi tal-Qorti.

Madankollu, huwa wiegħed li sal-aħħar ta’ Settembru se jiġi ppreżentat abbozz ta’ riforma tal-liġi tal-appelli lill-NGOs. Issa wasal tmiem Novembru, u għad m’hemm l-ebda sinjal ta’ din ir-riforma tant mistennija.

Ir-residenti u l-organizzazzjonijiet ikomplu jerfgħu l-piż li jisfidaw id-deċiżjonijiet abbużivi tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar fil-Qorti. Madankollu, anke dawn l-isforzi ħafna drabi jsiru għalxejn, peress li l-iżviluppaturi sadanittant jitħallew ikomplu bil-kostruzzjoni, u ma tittieħed l-ebda azzjoni biex jitneħħew l-istrutturi illegali wara li l-permessi tagħhom jiġu revokati.

Dan wassal għal proliferazzjoni ta’ bini illegali madwar Malta u Għawdex, bħall-pixxini illegali ta’ Joseph Portelli fl-ODZ tal-Qala u l-penthouses illegali tiegħu fis-Sannat.

Il-fatt li l-Gvern jirrifjuta li jirriforma dispożizzjoni sfaċċatament inġusta fi ħdan il-liġi, filwaqt li fl-istess ħin jagħmel minn kollox biex jaqdi l-interessi tal-iżviluppaturi, huwa tassew allarmanti. Billi jipprijoritizza l-profitti privati fuq il-governanza, il-Gvern qed iwarrab il-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna mingħajr mistħija ta’ xejn, jimmina d-demokrazija tagħna, u jissagrifika l-gżejjer tagħna għall-forzi tar-regħba.

Għaqdiet
Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Għawdix
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers’ Association Malta
Wirt Għawdex
The Archaeological Society Malta