Moviment Graffitti is today releasing a video that starkly illustrates the consequences of Malta’s flawed planning appeals law.

Since 2023, Prime Minister Robert Abela has repeatedly pledged to reform this law. However, two years later, the legal framework remains unchanged.

In Sannat, just a stone’s throw from Ta’ Ċenċ, Joseph Portelli and his associates have constructed hundreds of apartments, leaving behind a trail of environmental destruction. This project was permitted to proceed despite being subject to an appeal.

Under the current defective legislation, construction work is allowed to commence even while an appeal is underway. Consequently, by the time a ruling is issued declaring the development illegal, the project is already completed.

In Sannat, the Planning Authority (PA) disregarded blatant breaches of planning regulations, especially the construction of pools in Outside Development Zones (ODZ) and penthouses. The Planning Tribunal (EPRT) similarly failed to recognise these violations and upheld the PA’s decisions.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled that the ODZ pools and the penthouse were clearly illegal and in breach of established planning policies, thus revoking their permits.

By the time the ruling was delivered, the project had already been completed.

In July 2024, Portelli and his associates submitted an application to sanction the penthouses that had just been declared illegal by Malta’s highest court. In a surreal turn of events, the PA proceeded to approve their sanctioning and reissued the same permit that had been revoked just months earlier.

Portelli and his associates continue to submit applications to sanction various structures, including ODZ pools in Sannat, whose permits have been officially revoked by the courts. This is an extremely dangerous situation that erodes the foundations of democracy in our country and threatens the people’s ability to participate in the planning process and challenge decisions made by the authorities.

As the video shows, the flawed appeals law has not only wreaked havoc in Sannat but also in Mistra, Qala, Mellieħa, Xewkija, and many other locations.

It is deeply concerning that the Prime Minister has yet to implement this fundamental and necessary reform while simultaneously pushing through problematic legislative reforms at breakneck speed.

Moviment Graffitti strongly insists on the urgent revision of the planning appeals legislation. This reform should safeguard the people’s right to appeal PA decisions; give them the necessary time to present their appeals effectively; and ensure that no works are carried out on the basis of the contested permit.

We remain resolute in our commitment to resisting what has effectively become a developers’ coup against Malta’s planning and judicial frameworks.

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FILMAT: Fis-saltna tal-iżviluppaturi, tirrenja l-liġi għall-allat

Il-Moviment Graffitti llum qed jippubblika filmat li juri b’mod ċar l-effett li qed ikollha l-liġi bażwija tal-appelli tal-ippjanar fuq pajjiżna.

Il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela ilu mill-2023 iwiegħed li din il-liġi se tiġi riformata, iżda sentejn wara, għadna bla riforma.

Fis-Sannat, tefgħa ta’ ġebla ’l bogħod minn Ta’ Ċenċ, Joseph Portelli u sħabu bnew mijiet ta’ appartamenti li ħallew ħerba ambjentali sħiħa. Dan il-proġett tħalla jinbena minkejja l-fatt li kien taħt appell.

Attwalment, il-liġi assurda tal-appelli tippermetti li x-xogħlijiet ta’ kostruzzjoni jilħqu jibdew sakemm ikun qed jinstema’ appell fuq il-proġett, bil-konsegwenza li proġetti sħaħ ikunu diġà laħqu tlestew meta jinqata’ l-appell u jiġu ddikjarati illegali mill-Qorti.

F’Ta’ Sannat, l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar għalqet għajnejha għal ksur evidenti ta’ politiki tal-ippjanar, speċjalment fir-rigward tal-pixxini fuq l-ODZ u l-penthouses. It-Tribunal tal-Ippjanar (EPRT) ukoll naqas milli jirrikonoxxi li dawn l-iżviluppi kienu illegali, u kkonferma d-deċiżjonijiet tal-PA.

Kienet il-Qorti tal-Appell li ddikjarat li l-pixxini fuq l-ODZ u s-sulari ta’ fuq nett kienu ċarament illegali abbażi ta’ ksur tal-liġijiet tal-ippjanar, u għalhekk ħassret il-permessi għalihom.

Iżda sakemm inqata’ l-appell, il-proġett kien laħaq inbena kollu kemm hu.

F’Lulju tal-2024, Portelli u sħabu applikaw biex jissanzjonaw il-penthouses li kienu għadhom kemm ġew iddikjarati illegali mill-ogħla qorti ta’ pajjiżna. Xahar wara, l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar, minflok ordnat li l-istrutturi illegali jiġu żarmati, approvat is-sanzjonar, u reġgħet ħarġet l-istess permess li kien ġie ddikjarat illegali mill-Qorti ftit xhur qabel.

Portelli u sħabu għadhom s’issa qed jippreżentaw applikazzjonijiet għal sanzjonar ta’ strutturi, bħall-pixxini fuq ODZ f’Ta’ Sannat, li l-permess tagħhom ġie revokat mill-Qorti. Is-sentenzi tal-Qorti qed jiġu injorati biex jaqdu l-interessi ta’ żviluppaturi b’saħħithom. Din hija sitwazzjoni perikoluża ħafna li qed ixxejjen il-bażi tad-demokrazija f’pajjiżna u thedded l-abbiltà tan-nies li jipparteċipaw fil-proċess tal-ippjanar u li jikkontestaw id-deċiżjonijiet tal-awtoritajiet.

Kif juri l-filmat, il-liġi assurda tal-appelli ma ħallietx ħerba biss f’Ta’ Sannat. Qed tħalli ħerba wkoll fil-Mistra, fil-Qala, fil-Mellieħa, fix-Xewkija u ħafna postijiet oħra.

Huwa allarmanti kif il-Prim Ministru qed jibqa’ jonqos milli jdaħħal riforma daqstant bażika u essenzjali, iżda ma jsib l-ebda diffikultà jdaħħal riformi problematiċi b’mod mgħaġġel.

Il-Moviment Graffitti jibqa’ jisħaq biex tiddaħħal din ir-riforma b’mod immedjat. Din għandha tkun riforma li tħares id-dritt tar-residenti u tal-għaqdiet li jappellaw kontra deċiżjonijiet tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar; li dawn ikollhom il-ħin meħtieġ biex iressqu l-appell b’mod effettiv; u li matul dan il-perjodu ma jsiru ebda xogħlijiet abbażi tal-permessi kontestati.

Inwiegħdu li mhux se nibqgħu siekta quddiem il-kolp ta’ stat mill-iżviluppaturi fuq s-sistema tal-ippjanar u ġudizzjarja tagħna.