Campaigners welcome controversial planning reform bills falling through
The group said it was 'disappointed by the government’s lack of appetite for reform in the sector'
Updated 2.20pm with Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign statement
Campaigners opposing two highly controversial planning reform bills have welcomed the bills falling through with the dissolution of Parliament, following the announcement of the forthcoming election.
In a statement Tuesday, Activist group Il-Kollettiv said that while Bills 143 and 144 were no longer up for consideration, the “debacle” of their proposed introduction “is a defeat for the public as the government is afraid to take bold steps”.
Il-Kollettiv said it was relieved the bills would not be pushed through Parliament in their present form but said it was “disappointed by the government’s lack of appetite for reform in the sector”.
The group secretary Wayne Flask noted that while Prime Minister Robert Abela had promised to suspend construction for sites under appeal, “It took his lead consultants two years to deliver on that promise”.
When the government did move on the promise, “the result was two bills which would have effectively consigned the country to the developers’ cabal”, he said.
“We spent the last few months showing the government how bad its own bills were, to the point where even the authors were unable to justify their reasoning to the Planning Reform Committee.”
Suspending works for appeal sites “would have been the first reform in favour of the people,” he said, in the context of “11 years of total rule by the developers”.
The government could have removed all other provisions apart from the one originally promised to suspend works, said Flask, while accusing the Prime Minister of “silently bowing” to the wishes of the construction lobby.
“We’re not surprised: residents and NGOs don’t have the kind of hidden cash to spend on financing electoral campaigns.”
Il-Kollettiv said it expected future sector reform to include residents in the process, emphasising that the suspension of works for appeal sites was “just a tiny facet of the widespread need for reform”.
Turning his ire on Planning Authority CEO Johann Buttigieg and lawyer and government consultant Robert Musumeci, who helped draft the bills, Flask called for their removal from office.
“Both have been furthering private interests through taxpayer-funded roles, and we’re sure they’ll find plenty of clients in the private sector.”
The group said Buttigieg had twice been found guilty of contempt of court, while claiming “documented instances of his interference in individual planning permits”.
Musumeci, meanwhile, has authored a “long list of bad reforms, including numerous PA policies and sub-policies, legal notices introduced by stealth, the 2019 STO regulations and the law establishing the BCA”.
Il-Kollettiv invited residents from across the country to join it for a press conference on Sunday, May 17 – described by the group as “the only non-partisan event of the electoral campaign” – which it is organising in collaboration with residents group Residenti taz-Zurrieq.
“Despite the realities around us, only residents and NGOs are talking about their future in a country plagued by construction, overdevelopment and traffic. The government and the opposition have long since abandoned their duties and their voters.”
'Bills lapsed thanks to intense resistance'
In a statement later Tuesday, the Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign – formed by NGOs in opposition to the controversial bills – said the bills had lapsed due to “intense resistance to the developers’ wishlist”.
“The campaign wishes to acknowledge the efforts of all those who contributed to this unprecedented result, with a major, destructive overhaul of the planning system being stopped in its tracks”, it said.
It called on political parties to commit to planning law reform that would put “residents and environmental protection first, and to be clear and honest in their political programmes about the reforms they are envisaging”.
It noted that the bills had been opposed not only by civil society, but also by Opposition politicians and high-ranking Labour officials.
“This is not to mention the many thousands of people who answered Ġustizzja għal Artna's call to join its protests in an unprecedented show of force for Malta and Gozo's urban and natural environment.”
The campaign said planning reform should be based on “proper studies and actively involve environmental stakeholders” while putting an end to illegalities and the undermining of planning regulations, which it said had become the “order of the day”.
“This way, voters will know where each party stands on this critical issue for the future of the environment of Malta and Gozo.”
It noted that four proposals from the campaign regarding planning reform was pending feedback from political parties.
While paying tribute to the efforts of activists, the campaign warned that attempts to revive the proposals would be met with “an even more firm and sustained campaign of resistance and opposition to the destruction of what remains of our planning system”.