Undermining the MASP Awards

Din l-Art Ħelwa National Trust for Malta publicly extends its warmest congratulations to the Planning Authority on the successful sixth edition of its Malta Architecture and Spatial Planning (MASP) awards and to all the award winners. 

Special mention must go to architect Joanna Spiteri Staines, a long-time councillor for Din l-Art Ħelwa, who received the President’s Award for her outstanding achievements and contributions in architecture. A well-deserved tribute.

For the last 18 of its 60-year existence, Din l-Art Ħelwa has also proudly recognised excellence in heritage architecture through its own awards, emphasising the importance of safeguarding Malta’s rich cultural and historical identity while acknowledging creative and contemporary solutions in this field.

It is indeed commendable that the MASP awards have gained credibility and stature over the years, and that these awards now cover a wide range of creative activity. The Planning Authority was established in 1992 to provide a better quality of life for the community through transparent and fair planning services and to make Malta and Gozo a more pleasant and desirable place to live in. The MASP awards fit in very comfortably with this mission.

However, it is high time and essential that the authority also addresses some underlying concerns regarding the broader context of planning and development in Malta – particularly the inconsistency and hypocrisy that often accompany the authority’s decisions and actions.

The PA is chiefly responsible for the shape and state of our generally pitiful built environment. In recent years, we have witnessed countless instances where the PA has approved and tolerated developments that starkly contradict the principles of heritage conservation and quality design. These range from horrendous pencil apartment blocks in existing established terrace-house streetscapes, inappropriate and destructive developments within and around urban conservation areas, to the objectionable massive residential complex and decimation of the British Barracks in the Grade 1-scheduled Fort Chambray.

More recently, the PA sanctioned structures that, after lengthy procedures including legal action, were deemed illegal by the Court of Appeal. This was done with complete impunity and disregard of the rule of law. It is inconceivable, even absurd that, in this day and age, buildings are certified as being illegal only after they are erected, and this despite the earlier warnings made at permission application stage.

Notwithstanding various promises from our prime minister, the legislation to address this incongruity has still not been amended. The PA has thus fallen to a new low by sanctioning recently erected structures that the Court of Appeal found to be illegal. Din l-Art Ħelwa applied to have these permissions revoked but the Planning Board refused to do so.

The PA has fallen to a new low- Patrick Calleja

These contradictions in the PA’s role and performance are blatant. How can the authority reconcile its position as a permitting agency that approves illegal buildings – even structures that the courts have deemed unlawful – while simultaneously acting as an impartial judge of architectural merit and heritage value?

This duality raises questions about the integrity and credibility of the entire planning system. It is not the awards or the judges of them that are the issue. The awards are administered by an independent jury, whose credibility and impartiality are well-respected. The real issue is the perceived hypocrisy of the PA promoting itself as the prime mover of good architectural practice while knowingly allowing the general built environment and our cultural heritage to deteriorate with impunity.

Unfortunately, the pattern of approvals that ignores or that now overrides court rulings has highlighted this disconnect between policy and practice even further. The MASP awards are an effective way to influence positive change within the built environment. They genuinely inspire some architects and developers to strive for a better-quality environment.

It is the same PA, however, that is undermining the genuineness of the motives for its own awards scheme.

Malta and Gozo require more than just inspiring awards and accolades from the PA; the nation requires a consistent commitment to integrity, transparency and respect for our cultural and architectural heritage. Recognising excellence through awards is commendable, but it must be complemented by genuine and steadfast adherence to principles that safeguard our environment and uphold the rule of law.

Patrick Calleja is the executive president of  Din l-Art Ħelwa.