Ten ENGOs have studied the manifestoes of various political parties contesting the election and have issued a joint reaction to reaction to a number of proposals, which in their opinion are likely to have the biggest impact when it comes to the country’s environment.

The areas considered by the ENGOs are the Planning Reform, the revision of the Local Plans, new environmental protections and the future of Comino.

From the manifestoes, the ENGOs said that it seems that the Planning Reform as proposed by the Government and opposed by ENGOs is ”no longer on the agenda. It appears that the Labour Party has not proposed the concept in its current form again, although some aspects survive in other parts of its manifesto.”

They said that ”the Nationalist Party is proposing a different planning reform based on consultation with the public and ENGOs,” stating that this should not be based on ”political convenience or speculation.”

The organisations said that Momentum has proposed replacing the Planning Reform with a white paper on the broader reforms needed by the country, while ADPD has pronounced itself against the Planning Reform and indicated it wants to curb unsustainable development going forward.

The ENGOs said they are pleased that the discussion is shifting from a ”developer-led planning reform to one which addresses the real problems present in the planning system.”

The question of the Planning Reform seems to also have put the revision of the Local Plans on the agenda. The ENGOs noted that they are ”fully aware that developers want to destroy the current local plans, which are currently protecting residents and constraining building excesses.” Thus the NGOs said they will always insist that any Local Plan revision needs to be ”for the better and not for the worse.”

Within this context, they said that the Labour Party has indicated that it will hold a consultation on the revision of all the Local Plans, with the aim of addressing ‘contradictions’ and to introduce ‘uniformity’ and ‘certainty.’

The ENGOs added that they believe that ”these contradictions mainly refer to large developers being unable to build what they want, as there may be different policies applicable to a site.” They also understand that the PL wants to ”adjust the development boundary” to address ‘injustices’ faced by those who did not have their land included in the development zone during the 2006 rationalisation exercise. The ENGOs said that they ”do not believe that this is a legitimate basis for a Local Plan revision and ask that the PL make its intentions clear prior to the coming election.”

They noted that the Nationalist Party has also announced that it will revise the Local Plans to bring them in line with the ‘real capacity’ of our towns, ”with plans that are sensitive to the population, infrastructure, character and quality of life of the town.”

The ENGOs said that they believe that this is a much better basis from which to start a Local Plan revision. However the ENGOs also noted that these are currently ”aspirational goals, and are concerned that any Local Plan revision also opens up the danger of developers trying to weaken planning regulations.”

On the other hand, the organisations said that Momentum and ADPD have agreed to revise the Local Plans to make undeveloped rationalisation sites on the outskirts of our towns ODZ again, which was a proposal made by the ENGOs.”

They said that on new environmental protections, the PL has proposed to update the DC15 guidelines for better aesthetics, and to create new buffer zones around UCA areas, with the latter referring to an exercise which has already started but was not concluded during the last legislature.

They noted that it has also indicated that it is going to further restrict the amount and type of development which can take place in ODZ areas. ”This was an exercise which the Government had also started in 2020 but which was subsequently shelved.” These are ”positive proposals” and the ENGOs said that they sincerely hope that they will not be derailed once again due to vested interests close to the Labour Party.

From its end, the ENGOs said that the Nationalist Party is proposing that the ODZ boundary be entrenched and that any modification to the boundary be only possible with a two thirds vote from Parliament. It is also proposing that the Environment and Resources Agency (ERA) be given a veto power on ODZ development. ”These are two very positive proposals which will contain future urban sprawl and which address the fact that ERA is all too often ignored by the Planning Authority. To implement the latter proposal it will be important to appoint people of integrity so as to avoid the regulatory capture of ERA by the development lobby.”

They said that ADPD is proposing a new Constitutional right which would give people the power to challenge laws and regulations which are destructive to the environment. The ENGOs said they strongly believe that ”such a right has become very important for citizens to defend themselves from the increasingly corrupt governance which has taken hold in the country. This right had also been proposed last year by the PN but was unfortunately not proposed again in this manifesto.”

Momentum is proposing an independent review of planning decisions that have disfigured the country’s built environment, in order to determine where oversight failed and where private pressure overrode the public interest, with the findings being used to strengthen environmental protections. The ENGOs said they agree that such a review will ”uncover many of the failures that have led to the collapse of the country’s planning system and that it could provide accountability for the political interference which has always vitiated the Planning Authority.”

On Comino, The ENGOs said that the Labour Party has not made any proposals. The PN has pledged to publish the carrying capacity study and to open a public consultation about its future. It has also said that it would be taking decisions based on science and environmental protection in relation to the island. Momentum has proposed strict protections for this Natura 2000 site, while ADPD has proposed a total development ban.

The ENGOs said they are ”disappointed that despite all their efforts, this election has not seen a consensus around protecting Comino and that a free-for-all by commercial operators could continue in Malta’s most well preserved Nature 2000 site if things persist as they are.”

The ENGOs stressed that ”we are now in a situation where not only are the country’s towns and countryside under threat, but also its most cherished natural and historical heritage. One need only mention Dwejra in Gozo, where a Dark Sky Heritage Area was being threatened by a proposal to allow artificial lighting until midnight in contravention to the Local Plan, or the outrageous permit to demolish the British barracks at Fort Chambray, listed by Europa Nostra among the seven most endangered sites in Europe.”

They said that ”any attempt to cause these and other environmental and cultural disasters after the election will be met with fierce resistance.” the ENGOs called on ”all environmentally minded voters to exercise their right to vote judiciously during this election and to send a strong signal about the urgent need for a change of direction for the country in these matters.”

Signed

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: Gozo News/Alain Salvary

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