The Nationalist Party’s proposal for projects in zones that fall outside development to require the approval of a two-thirds majority in Parliament is too vague and can only be adopted if certain issues are clarified, the Malta Developers Association said.

In a statement this morning, the MDA said that, as a rule, it had been stressing that no more land located in ODZ should be approved for development, in particular for residences and commercial purposes.

But while it understood the motivation behind the PN proposal, certain issues needed to be clarified.

No more land located in ODZ should be approved for development

Such issues included the need for a clear difference between ODZ land that was pristine and intact and other ODZ land that was legally developed and committed.

Everyone should understand how the building boundary was established, it said, adding that it appeared that when this boundary was drawn up, some injustices were committed relating to small parcels of land. This could easily be resolved because it was so obvious since in some cases the current boundary did not make sense.

The MDA said there was a need for agreement on a clear definition of the word ‘projects’. If this was for all types of development, then permits to build a greenhouse or extend a quarry would require the approval of two-thirds of Parliament. This was not practical.

It was also important to clarify everyone’s understanding of the meaning of the national interest that would lead Parliament to make exceptions to the rule. Each permit issued in this manner should first be scrutinised by the authorities for the development application to be processed.

In this context, the MDA suggested that a study of the PN proposal be conducted following wide consultation with all interested parties for the proposals to be enhanced with the necessary details.