A radical proposal to completely freeze development on land in Outside Development Zones did not manage to achieve the required consensus after a year and a half of discussion, the Planning Authority said.
In a statement to Times of Malta, the PA said that Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg was told in September that no agreement had been reached.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat criticised the PA for failing to change a 2014 policy that made it easier for rural ruins to be turned into villas.
The PA confirmed its executive council, chaired by outgoing CEO Johann Buttigieg, set up a panel in April 2018 to review planning policy with the intention of “freezing ODZ land take-up as indicated in the 2018 aerial photos”.
The controversy over the development of ODZ land erupted last week when planning permission was granted for a proposal to turn a tiny ruin in the Gozo countryside into a villa with a pool.
Earlier this week, Times of Malta reported that the committee went months without meeting.
In a statement, the PA said: “The committee was composed of various stakeholders including representatives from within the Authority, the government, the opposition, NGOs, developers and other stakeholders.
“After several meetings it was evident that no consensus could be achieved and participation waned to the point that, in September of this year, the minister was informed that no progress was being achieved.”
The PA said that it was only last week, after Dr Borg presented to the authority the government’s objectives for the review of the policy, that a public consultation was started. The Rural Policy and Design Guidelines were published in 2014 shortly after Labour was returned to power.
The planning policy revision was part of Labour’s electoral pledges in 2013 and made possible the granting of controversial development permits in sensitive ODZ areas across the islands.
In many instances, the same applicants who had their developments turned down under the previous government managed to obtain their desired permits through the 2014 revision.
Elizabeth Ellul, who chairs the Planning Commission responsible for ODZ applications, last week admitted the need for a change in the policy.
Ms Ellul, who was involved in many of the recent controversial permits, said the policy definitely needed tweaking.
“I was the author of the current policy and know it inside out. A policy proves its worth when it’s applied. I think that for the sake of clarity, correctness and certainty, the time is ripe to change and amend the current rules,” she said.
A spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister said: “In May 2018, the government had formally requested the Planning Authority to revise the policy through an ad-hoc committee composed of representatives of the government, Opposition, NGOs, Planning Authority and ERA, among others".
In September 2019, the minister shared his concerns with the PA that this process was not registering any results. In October 2019, the minister requested again formally, according to the law, to act on these concerns and prepare a Bill by the end of this year, the OPM said.
Ivan.Camilleri@timesofmalta.com