Air conditioners scheme bogged down by stuffy procedures

The removal of unsightly air conditioning units from façades in Valletta, as demanded by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, has been bogged down by the authority's own red tape.

There may be good intentions behind the scheme to remove the illegal units, but doing so requires a full development permit from Mepa, a bureaucratic procedure that many businesses are finding too cumbersome.

Last November, the authority had urged owners and tenants of buildings on which air conditioning units are visible to come in line with planning regulations by the end of June, failing which Mepa would take action against them.

Mepa had also given an incentive, however, waiving the processing fees charged on development applications received by June 30. It had also produced a leaflet giving ideas of how air conditioning units can be concealed to make them less of an eyesore.

But besides being costly, shifting the units or camouflaging them involves the submission of six copies of elevations as well as photos and site plans. Private and government property are subject to the same bureaucratic procedures.

A survey conducted by Mepa last year showed there were almost 1,300 air conditioning units visible from the city's streets. Of these, 691 belong to commercial premises, 304 to residential premises, 218 to public entities and 80 are unaccounted for.

Some 72 per cent of the units have been affixed directly onto façades, 19 per cent are in balconies and the other nine per cent are in doors or windows but still visible from the street.

A shop owner and spokesman for the business community railed against the way the scheme was being operated. "To begin with, it is ridiculous that one has to apply to Mepa simply to shift an unsightly air conditioning unit and make it less visible.

"Mepa should issue guidelines and new units should be fixed or old ones moved according to such guidelines. Having to file an application to do so is really creating unnecessary work and expenses. You have to go to an architect to have plans drawn and submitted.

"There are also problems with units that have been fixed in certain places simply because there was no other place for them. Sometimes a shop owner has no access to the roof, balcony or internal yard.

"Are shops now expected to re-do their façade to hide an air conditioning unit that was fixed there 20 years ago?"

A Mepa spokesman said the fact that people were asking about the necessary procedures was positive as it showed a recognition of the problem and of the need to remove the eyesores.

The units, he said, have been illegally affixed to façades of an urban conservation area and a World Heritage Site over the years. "Mepa sees the response as a positive reaction."

He said that besides waiving the application fees, Mepa, in agreement with the local council and the Valletta Rehabilitation Project, was offering free consultancy in order to come up with options and solutions for whoever requested assistance.

However, as Valletta was an urban conservation area, all development must be carried out through a development permit. "That, unlike the fees, cannot be waived," he said.

"Mepa wholeheartedly agrees that the air conditioning units are obtrusive and need to be disguised. Mepa will make sure that all the air conditioning units will be removed so as to restore and rehabilitate the unique and historical character of this city.

"Mepa is offering the services of an officer who is constantly seeing clients and giving advice free of charge to Valletta residents and shop owners," the spokesman said.