The new prime minister is facing many issues. However, one of the most challenging is the environment sector where widespread change is needed urgently since the Planning Authority, set up to protect the environment and residents’ interests, is beyond redemption. With a few exceptions, starting from scratch would be the only way to impose the values of integrity and honesty that the PM spoke of in his inaugural speech.

Over the years, successive governments have issued policies to dilute the effective protection of our built and natural heritage through vague regulations full of loopholes and policies that can be twisted by accommodating PA officials to suit developers’ applications.

The most outrageous is the ‘flexibility’ policy. What is the point of having local plans if this policy means they can be ignored? This should be removed along with the policy allowing an extra two floors for hotels and old people’s homes, which has been abused, creating monstrosities in residential areas.

The change needed is not a question of tweaking or an overhaul of existing policies, but a radical fresh start, to fulfil residents’ rights on air and noise pollution, trees and climate change.

In order to succeed, this fresh start also needs a fresh mentality. Many of the present PA staff are ‘institutionalised’ in their mindset that they ought to be loyal to developers, who pay their salaries, and not to the public who they regard as unschooled in planning procedures and therefore not worthy of consultation.

Similarly, the PA boards require a total reform – enough of boards populated by architects, government appointees and developers’ lackeys, all with a pro-development mindset and conflicts of interests, giving the PA the perception of being Malta’s most corrupt government authority. It is time to give planners a real say in a new planning authority.

We have now slid right down to oblivion

Vague policies that were created to be inherently feeble, like the SPED, or that were written to accommodate development in ODZ, like the Stables Policy, the Rural Policy and Design Guidance 2014 and the Petrol Stations Policy, are too misintentioned to even be revised; they should be scrapped and re-written. Farmers, the forgotten stewards of our countryside, need to be supported.

The uglification of Malta must stop! We welcome the fact that Dr Abela has listed this as one of his priorities, as we need to breathe a sense of aesthetics into our buildings and develop a Maltese building style, as all our Mediterranean neighbours have successfully done.

Environmental studies which have been cut back need to be resumed in order to conform to EU laws on environment impact assessments, strategic environment assessments, social impact assessments etc.

Studies on the effects of new policies have not been carried out – a moratorium on the Tall Buildings Policy would allow for assessment of the number of extra units that have been permitted against what is really needed. Also to assess the pressure that these mega projects add onto our utilities – water, electricity and drains, traffic, roads and public transport. Studies on the effect of the Gozo tunnel on the sister island have not yet been published.

Studies are long overdue on touristic carrying capacity and the number of new hotel rooms that have been permitted. Equally, a study on different cruiseship sources of energy to avoid pollution while berthed in the Grand Harbour is long overdue.

The ERA needs to be strengthened and given the deciding vote on ODZ applications and nature sites such as urban gardens: international studies have repeatedly shown that trees and green enclaves are essential for the well-being of town residents. One of the priorities for the new government should be the creation of such enclaves in towns where they are severely lacking like Ħamrun, Fgura, Naxxar, Mosta, Sliema and St Julian’s.

Public participation in planning issues has been eroded to pre-2006 levels. The PA website needs to be freely accessible to all, and missing reports uploaded in order to conform to EU law and the Aarhus Convention, which also stipulates that residents and NGOs are to be assisted by their governments. Here in Malta, the opposite is true. An Aarhus Convention guardian is urgently required; having the PA fill that role is like putting a fox to guard the chickens.

The PA’s Enforcement Division seems to have gone into hibernation as has the Building Regulations Department (BRO). Regulations will not be respected without monitoring backed up by effective enforcement. Ultimately, it all boils down to a commitment towards rigorously ethical practice. There have been times in the past when we were inching in that direction but we have now slid right down to oblivion.

The prime minister has stated that he will not accept corruption; over the last years, the powerful have been allowed to call the shots, and blatant irregularities gave birth to rampant overdevelopment to the detriment of residents, our built and natural heritage.

Article 3 of the Planning and Development Act states that planning is for “the well-being of current and future generations”.

As a person with an in-depth knowledge of planning practice, the nation looks to him to finally make that happen.

Astrid Vella is coordinator of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar.