The Nationalist Party is insisting that the “disgraceful Planning Bills (Bills 143 and 144) be withdrawn immediately.” To this end, the PN said it is today presenting a motion in Parliament “to stop this dangerous process and launch a new, serious, inclusive, and transparent process.”

The PN said in a statement that it has been calling for years for an “holistic, fair, and transparent reform of the planning system; one that puts the citizen and the environment at its core. Instead, the Government has presented not a reform, but an institutional assault that leaves the public unprotected and voiceless.”

The Opposition recalled that that it has also long been demanding, both in Parliament and in Local Councils, serious studies such as Carrying Capacity Assessments to determine how much and what type of development the country can sustainably support. “Despite this, the Government has stubbornly refused to carry them out.”

“The Government has pushed these bills forward hastily and without consultation, just before Parliament breaks for summer. It has done so to try to avoid scrutiny, limit debate, and evade accountability,” stated the PN

It argued that “this is a clear demonstration of a Government intent on misleading the public and making changes behind their backs. Bill 144, despite including the temporary suspension of permits pending appeal, in fact reduces the powers of the Court of Appeal and nullifies its autonomy.”

The PN added that “Bill 143 opens the floodgates to more chaos and abuse in the planning system: it allows for unauthorised developments, disregards the hierarchy of plans, and hands power to the Minister and boards to override established policies as they please, including in areas where development is meant to be prohibited (ODZ).”

Furthermore, the PN insisted that “for more than a decade, the Government has blocked all updates to the planning framework and instead introduced vague policies that have eroded consistency and destroyed public trust in the system.”

“The Planning Authority has become an approval rubber-stamp, rather than a visionary tool for the common good,”stated the PN

The Nationalist Party said it believes that any serious reform must:

Be a holistic one

Guarantee the suspension of permits during appeals; Be based on evidence, including a national Carrying Capacity Study;

Restore judicial independence;

Increase public participation and transparency;

And rebuild trust in the system through honest and serious governance.

The Nationalist Party said its position is “firm and clear: the bills must be withdrawn immediately. The process must start from scratch.”

“Reform must be real, not a sham designed to give the Government more power while further eroding the rights of citizens,” stated the PN.

The statement was signed by Stanley Zammit Shadow Minister for Planning and Lands and Rebekah Borg Shadow Minister the Environment.

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