The Nationalist Party has condemned what it describes as “the reactive and chaotic manner in which the Government is pretending to push forward what should have been a serious reform of Malta’s planning system.”

It argued that “the statement by Gozo and Planning Minister Clint Camilleri – that he will withdraw certain clauses from the bills he rushed through Parliament without any form of consultation – is nothing but a clear admission of the Government’s arrogant, ill-thought-out and unplanned approach to altering Malta’s planning laws.”

In a joint statement by Stanley Zammit Shadow Minister for Planning and Lands and Rebekah Borg Shadow Minister for the Environment, the said that “after years of waiting for reform, it is only now that Minister Clint Camilleri has realised how much he failed to consider or even notice when presenting these laws.”

“This reveals either the Minister’s sheer incompetence, or that he is acting purely out of political convenience. In either case, the country is paying the price of a Government that is unserious and devoid of any plan,” the PN spokespersons said.

The insisted that what the Government is trying to sell as an “aspiration” is nothing less than the “suffocation of the planning system through direct political interference and decisions taken by individuals hand-picked by Government, without any serious process of study, public consultation or Parliamentary scrutiny.”

The PN noted that, under sustained pressure from the Opposition, NGOs and the public, the Government has begun to backtrack.

“This confirms that pressure works – but it is not enough. As we have already insisted, the bills must be withdrawn in their entirety and the process restarted from scratch with serious consultation and a clear vision. The time and years lost are the Government’s fault for allowing the country to collapse under planning chaos,” the PN Spokespersons said.

The PN insisted that Malta needs a holistic, serious, transparent and fair reform of the planning system. “Successive Labour Governments have allowed the framework to crumble, increasing ambiguity and interpretative discretion while reducing predictability.”

It added that “instead of a long-term vision that serves our communities, strengthens the economy, enhances the environment, and safeguards our cultural and historical heritage, the Government is pursuing measures that run contrary to every principle of sustainable development, the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment, justice, and good governance.”

The Nationalist Party said that it will continue to lead an open dialogue and sincere consultation. Among other proposals, the PN said it is putting forward a structured and formal mechanism that brings together applicants, objectors, local councils, NGOs, and case officers to explain, adjust and clarify conflicts.

“This would shorten application timeframes by reducing legal uncertainty and addressing misinterpretations early on, while increasing consistency, strengthening trust in the Planning Authority, improving development quality, and giving citizens a genuine voice,” it said.

The Nationalist Party concluded by appealing to the Government to “stop behaving with arrogance and incompetence, withdraw the bills immediately, and start afresh with a planning system that embraces the principles of justice, transparency and sustainability, and which truly works for the common good.”

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