NGOs reiterate call for government to drop controversial planning reform bills

Environmental NGOs on Monday issued a fresh appeal for the government to withdraw controversial Bills which would give the Planning Authority unprecedented powers should they become law.

The NGOs, which form part of the Ġustizzja għal Artna (Justice for our land) campaign, held a press conference outside the Planning Authority to outline their demands ahead of a national protest this Saturday.

They explained how two bills and three legal notices issued by the government would dismantle nearly all existing planning safeguards. Bill 143 would give the PA the power to amend local plans, by, for example, removing areas from ODZ or altering building heights, even in sensitive areas such as UCAs. 

"This will unleash a flood of applications from developers seeking to open up new land for construction or intensify development for personal gain," the NGOs said. The bill also grants further arbitrary powers to the PA and the minister for planning, such as issuing policies without public consultation, superseding all other regulations, and even reviving expired permits.

Bill 144 would make it significantly harder to appeal PA decisions by restricting the grounds for appeal, threatening appellants with a €5,000 fine, and giving the Tribunal arbitrary powers to alter approved plans. Alarmingly, the courts would be stripped of their power to revoke irregularly-issued permits, officials of the NGOs told the press conference.

Furthermore, the three legal notices published as part of this so-called “reform” package would regularise all forms of illegal development, with no restrictions on type, location, or size.

Ingram Bondin from the Ramblers Association said the proposed bills would turn the country upside down and were a gift to those who abuse current regulations.

Bondin described the reform as "Robert Abela’s reform" and questioned, given the resistance within the prime minister’s own party, “who he is worried he will disappoint if he doesn’t go ahead with these reforms?”  

Lawyer Andrew Sciberras Camilleri from Front Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent warned that the proposed laws were dangerous, arguing that they would further erode an already broken system. He called for the bills to be revoked and for a white paper to be published, insisting that the public deserved better.

Patrick Calleja from Din l-Art Ħelwa said that under the new bills, decisions would be based on opinion, not consultation. 

Calleja warned that if the laws were enacted, Malta could be facing “a future in the dark, a future in the dust and noise, and a future in the shadow of cranes”.

The final speaker was BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana, who said he had not believed the situation could get worse, but the proposed bills proved otherwise.

The NGOs called for:

• The immediate withdrawal of the draft bills and legal notices.  
• The urgent introduction of a measure suspending works on developments approved by the Planning Authority while an appeal is ongoing, through an amendment to existing law.
• The publication of a White Paper to launch a genuine consultation on the broader planning reforms Malta truly needs.

The bills have drawn widespread criticism. In an interview on Times Talk last month, Planning Minister Clint Camilleri pledged to roll back some of the proposals. He said he would withdraw the clause in Bill 143 allowing the PA to override planning policies, which he called the most contentious provision. He also committed to reconsidering the proposed reduction of the appeals window from 30 to 20 days.

The Ġustizzja għall-Artna coalition includes BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Front Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent, Għawdix, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust – FEE Malta, Ramblers Association, and Wirt Għawdex.

Saturday's protest will start at 10am from the law courts in Valletta.

Over 45 groups have already endorsed the event.