The main highlight of January’s sudden cabinet reshuffle saw Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri take over the planning portfolio from Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, with the long-awaited construction reform to be handled by Justice Minister Jonathan Attard.

Zrinzo Azzopardi’s reign was as short as it was unproductive, seeing the lull in reforming the construction and planning sectors. While the accidents and the occassional death continue to pile up, the Planning Authority’s behaviour has been nothing short of atrocious, as the trend of rubber-stamping the vast majority of applications continues. In one case, the PA even approved a development within the buffer zone of the Ġgantija Temples, in Xagħra, leading to widespread anger in Camilleri’s constituency.

The choice of Camilleri speaks volumes, especially now that the Labour Party does not have a front-running MEP candidate from Gozo, and also comes in the background of a decision by the government to raise the property tax back to the pre-COVID rate of five per cent. This led leading developer Joseph Portelli to protest in the media, in what is probably a move to reduce construction pressure on the island.

Similarly, Camilleri’s first policy saw the PA oblige developers in Gozo to build façades in limestone as opposed to concrete; a move that is expected to also raise property prices, possibly reducing the flurry of construction applications but nowhere close to halting them. This decision may be framed within the context of Camilleri’s mission to preserve Gozo and its identity, and a sop to those who believe development should be reined in.

There seems to be little change elsewhere, however, as the first few days of Camilleri’s stewardship saw the PA approve a large Portelli-linked development in Paola, set to alter the townscape forever. A couple of days later, it was reported how the PA is set to eliminate a prohibition on the construction of pools in a Sannat ODZ.

Camilleri’s first step as planning minister was to appoint five Gozitan members on the Planning Board, days after he sidestepped questions about whether his appointment is a move to appease Gozitan developers, especially Portelli. 

While Camilleri appears busy with the cosmetics of Gozitan planning, development in Malta is set to continue at its searing pace. While lapsed development permits have been renewed twice in the last few years – once under Aaron Farrugia, the second under Zrinzo Azzopardi – the sector is still effectively building developments approved in the previous years.

It’s as if the ailing property boom needs to be sustained at all costs. This also explains the developers’ insistence on trumpeting sales figures at the beginning of the month; more often than not, official NSO figures betray a slowdown in the property market, contradicting the MDA’s narrative.

That Camilleri’s first policy is about façades is perhaps metaphoric. Through his choice to install a planning board which is half Gozitan, Camilleri may be seen as seeking to strengthen his control over individual applications; what better than a structure with a façade cast in stone, yet with a malleable interior?

Unfortunately, public opinion doesn’t seem to be that prone to falling for these pieces of finesse, more so when the PA has proven to be intentionally ham-fisted in creating and applying planning policies. If there was ever any doubt as to whether board and commission members know what they are actually voting for, the votes of the new Gozitan members on developments in Malta ought to be studied closely in the coming months.

Camilleri’s appointment as planning minister is a sort of coronation. He clearly commends the prime minister’s confidence to muster two huge ministries and the significant patronage that comes with them.

Based on its experiences, the public sentiment is all but favourable to more construction; a warning bell which Labour seems intent on ignoring, months before an election.