The blanket three-year extension granted by the Planning Authority in March because of the stagnation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has prolonged almost 20,000 development permits.

The extension, granted on the strength of a legal notice issued at the height of the pandemic, covered all permits which are due to expire between March 2020 and December 31, 2022.

This effectively gave additional breathing space to those in possession of a development permit from early 2018 by stretching its standard five-year validity period.

An authority spokesman told Times of Malta in reply to questions that the provision affected 18,925 permits. He said the provision was not opened to those who needed an extension but the regulator simply amended its database and extended all permits.

At the time, the PA had said it was granting the three-year permit extension due to the circumstances the coronavirus had brought about. It said the pandemic had brought most businesses to a halt, with many facing drastic losses in income or job security.

“The authority is taking this proactive measure to prevent current permit holders from having to carry out a significant amount of works within a short period once normality is restored,” it had said.

Sources within the planning sector had said the government wanted to discourage people from rushing into construction once the pandemic was over in a race against time and also wanted to help people who have been financially hurt by the economic slump by allowing them to spread their project costs over more years.

The government wants to discourage people from rushing into construction once the pandemic is over

The planning watchdog said that the extension would help applicants of all sizes, from small household projects to larger businesses, while easing administrative burdens and avoiding the major disruptions a sudden flood of construction work across the island would lead to.

Environmentalists want idea revised

However, environmentalists have called for the blanket extension to be revisited and reconsidered now that the situation is much better than it was in March.

Andrè Callus, from Moviment Graffitti, insisted that, while the idea might have been good when it was introduced at the height of the pandemic, it ought to be revisited because the situation is not what it was then.

He questioned why the PA had decided on three years and why this had not been offered to those who found themselves in difficulties and applied for the facility, just like bank moratoria.

“Planning permits already have a long enough period of five years to get the project going. This simply increased this to eight, with no questions asked. It just doesn’t make sense.

“It needs to be ­reconsidered,” he said when contacted.

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar coordinator Astrid Vella echoed this opinion.

“This extension of development permits makes even less sense now than it did a year ago, in light of the review of the strategic plan for the environment and development (SPED) and the intelligent planning forum, both sponsored by the ministry of the environment,” she said.

“The nefarious height extensions allowing buildings in villages to rise five floors plus penthouse will have a further four years to continue to ruin our old streetscapes forever, adding to the uglification and congestion of Malta’s towns and villages.

“Malta’s residents and landscapes need to be protected, therefore, we propose that this automatic extension should apply to the projects that conform to the revised policies,” she added.

“Those that do not conform would be required to apply for a renewal of permit that assesses their project in the light of new, improved policies.”