Be the first to comment!NGOs want timeframe for change to development planning legislation
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19 NGOs, in a joint statement, are calling for a timeframe for the change to development planning legislation. The NGOs insist that the development planning legislation “needs to be amended immediately and made more equitable.”
While a recent press release issued by the Minister for Planning Clint Camilleri promised some changes to the legislation, there was no commitment to any timeframes, the NGOs said and are requesting a meeting with Prime Minister Robert Abela and Minister for Planning Clint Camilleri.
They also stated that “there are no guarantees that the new legislation will solve the problems our country and its citizens are facing.”
The recent decision taken by the Planning Authority to overturn a Court of Appeal judgement on two illegal Sannat penthouses, which was presided over by the Honourable Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, “was flagrantly abusive,” the NGOs said.
The NGOs added that “the Planning Authority had approved, through a summary procedure application, two penthouses that were deemed to be illegal and not conforming to planning policies.”
They stressed that “the fact that the Planning Authority feels it can disregard the Court of Appeal’s declaration and final judgement and subsequently sanction this property is not acceptable and accentuates the urgency with which the planning laws need to be amended. The rule of law should apply across the entire legislation including that of planning and environmental issues.”
The NGOs stated that “in view of this serious situation, we have requested an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister and the Minister for Planning to discuss proposed amendments to the development planning laws and a committed timeframe for their implementation.”
The joint statement was signed by:
BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Helwa, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Ghawdix, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, Ramblers Association Malta, The Archaeological Society Malta, Wirt Ghawdex, Azzjoni Tuna Artna Lura, Ghaqda Residenti tal-Qrendi, Ghaqda Storja u Kultura Birzebbuga, Marsaskala Residents Network, Marsaxlokk Heritage, Nadur Nadif, Residenti Beltin, Sliema Residents Association and Wirt iz-Zejtun.
Photo: Joseph Portelli’s Sannat Penthouses. Photo Credit – The Shift News
