The Gustizzja ghal Artna campaign, which is made up of ten organisations, said that it notes that the ”intense resistance to the developers’ wishlist – the so called planning reform – has resulted in Bills 143 and 144 lapsing with the dissolution of Parliament.”

The campaign acknowledged the ”efforts of all those who contributed to this unprecedented result, with a major, destructive overhaul of the planning system being stopped in its tracks.”

Besides the organisations which launched the campaign and the others which subsequently joined it, the reform was opposed by social partners, residents groups, opposition political parties, and even high ranking officials and activists within the Labour Party, the campaign said. This is not to mention the many thousands of people who answered Gustizzja ghal Artna’s call to join its protests in an unprecedented show of force for Malta and Gozo’s urban and natural environment.

With the election now announced for the 30th of May, the Gustizzja ghal Artna campaign is calling on all political parties to ”commit to a reform of planning laws which puts residents and environmental protection first, and to be clear and honest in their political programmes about the reforms they are envisaging.”

It insisted that ”such a reform needs to be based on proper studies and actively involve environmental stakeholders. It must also put an end to the constant illegality and the undermining of planning regulations which have become the order of the day. This way, voters will know where each party stands on this critical issue for the future of the environment of Malta and Gozo.”

The ?ustizzja g?al Artna campaign has recently launched four proposals for real planning reform and is currently awaiting the feedback of political parties on these essential measures, which should form the basis of any reform that our country truly needs.

While the Gustizzja ghal Artna campaign highlights this achievement, it said it is ”under no illusion that the forces behind the developers’ wishlist may try to resurrect this reform in some superficially altered form after the election, once voters have been deprived of their greatest power.”

The campaign concluded by saying that ”should this dishonest attempt be made, the campaign is determined to undertake an even more firm and sustained campaign of resistance and opposition to the destruction of what remains of our planning system.”

Ramblers’ Association of Malta

Moviment Graffitti

Friends of the Earth Malta

BirdLife Malta

Din l-Art Helwa

Nature Trust Malta

Wirt Ghawdex

Ghawdix

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar

Front Zghazagh ghall-Ambjent.

File photo

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