The Nationalist Party has expressed concerns about plans to loosen planning permit rules for greening projects, saying the proposals would reduce transparency concerning such works.

In a statement, PN MPs Rebekah Borg and Stanley Zammit said the party has made its concerns known in submissions made as part of an ongoing public consultation process.

The proposals were presented by the Planning Authority last month. If passed into law, the changes will allow Project Green applications to be fast-tracked with minimal PA oversight while other greening projects presented by local councils and other entities will be subject to a Development Notification Order (DNO) rather than full PA permit.

A DNO is a fast-tracked permit that is subject to less scrutiny and is processed within  a matter of weeks rather than months.

In its statement, the PN said that the plan would be “opening the door to uncontrolled development.”

Citizens would have no way of opposing developments that could harm the environment, the PN said, and safeguards provided within the existing Outside Development Zone policy would not apply

“This means that restrictions and limitations on development could be bypassed under the guise of so-called ‘greening projects’”, the PN said.

Allowing Project Green such free reign also confirmed that the entity “is merely a front for the Government’s environmental propaganda,” it said.

“An agency established to carry out environmental work is, in fact, doing the exact opposite by seeking to evade mechanisms designed to ensure environmental responsibility.”

Reacting, the Labour Party said the Opposition was trying to “distort the truth and create fear.”

“With the proposed amendments, we are ensuring that green projects and the creation of green spaces are implemented with less bureaucracy and more efficiency for the benefit of the general public,” it said. “The PN prefers to hinder this work, as it does not want the Government to address what people want and need.”