Momentum endorses activists' ideas to protect Malta's land

Momentum endorsed four proposals by a coalition of environmentalists, which include a suggestion that land opened up to possible development in 2006 should be reclassified as undevelopable.

Ġustizzja Għal Artna activists on Saturday presented the key changes at an event held on the doorstep of the prime minister's office in Castille.  

The environmentalists also suggested: suspending works during planning appeals, obliging the Planning Authority to physically remove illegal developments and not allowing illegal ODZ structures to be sanctioned.

The political party said on Sunday it viewed these measures as essential pillars for restoring integrity to Malta’s planning system and protecting what remains of the island’s natural and urban heritage.

"The current planning framework has long been skewed in favour of narrow interests, leading to a 'build now, sanction later' culture that undermines the rule of law," it said in a statement.

"Momentum believes that the government’s recently proposed Bills 143 and 144, along with the accompanying Legal Notices, threaten to dismantle existing safeguards and normalise illegalities on a national scale."

Ġustizzja Għal Artna presented their four proposals on Saturday morning. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Momentum said it was formally incorporating the core pillars of the Ġustizzja għal Artna reform into its upcoming 2026 election manifesto to ensure these critical changes become a legislative priority:

• Suspending works during appeals: work to mandate that all development stops while an appeal is pending before the EPRT or the Courts to prevent illegal structures from being finished before a verdict
• Mandatory removal of illegalities: new binding rules will force the physical removal of illegal developments. The PA would be legally required to ensure demolition at the offender’s expense
• One-stop shop for enforcement: create a single entity for regulation to end the current fragmented system, where different authorities avoid taking responsibility
• Prohibiting ODZ sanctioning: ban the sanctioning of illegal structures built in Outside Development Zones after 2008, ending the “build now, pay later” culture
• Protecting rationalised land: any land of agricultural, natural, or historical value taken from the ODZ in 2006 that remains undeveloped will be reclassified as ODZ and protected from construction.

To complement the Ġustizzja għal Artna reforms, Momentum’s manifesto also pledges to:

• Refound the PA: reconstitute the authority by appointing only professionals with proven track records of integrity and a commitment to high environmental standards. This new leadership will include dedicated environmental activists and independent experts whose work is firmly rooted in the protection of our natural and urban heritage
• High-rise moratorium: implement an immediate two-year freeze on permits for buildings over ten floors to reassess planning frameworks and prevent further failures
• End public land giveaways: introduce a constitutional amendment banning the sale of public land for commercial use. Any short-term leases would require a 75% parliamentary majority and must strictly preserve the land’s natural and historical state

“For too long, the Maltese people have watched their quality of life diminish under a planning process that is tough with the small, law-abiding citizen but remarkably lax with the law-breaking large developer," Mark Camilleri Gambin, general secretary of Momentum, said.

He added it was fundamentally unjust that residents must bear the financial and organisational burden of challenging flawed decisions in court, while a developer is allowed to keep building and create a fait accompli.

The activists' proposals represented a common-sense return to transparency and fairness, ensuring that the law finally applies to everyone equally, Camilleri Gamin said.