A new proposed legal framework has been drawn up which will significantly reduce the range and types of development which will be exempt from requiring planning permission, if they satisfy certain criteria, the Planning Authority has said today.

The proposed Development Notification Order (DNO), which is being issued for public consultation, is seeking to "do away with the practice" that for certain works the public is not part of the planning process and has no right for an appeal.

The Authority said that over the past years, the DNO legal notice has been revised on several occasions with the purpose of increasing the classes and types of works that were considered as permitted development.

"Permitted development meant that certain works could be carried out through a simple notification process or in many cases whereby no notification was required at all. While this process may have worked well for the applicant, it left the public and many residents without the right to even know, let alone object or appeal against such development works."

Through the new regulations (Procedure for Applications and their Determination) which will come into force in the coming days, the Authority will be introducing a new type of planning application which will sit along the familiar full development application and the DNO, the Authority said.

This new planning application, which will be known as the 'Summary Procedures' will incorporate a number of development types which have been removed from the present DNO. This new procedure ensures that a notice is affixed to a property where the intervention is proposed to be carried out, the public is given 15 days to submit objections and a registered objector has the right to make an appeal against the decision. A 'Summary Procedures' application will be decided within 42 days.

The proposed DNO legal notice is eliminating certain types of developments which today are considered as permitted development, these include water cisterns and reservoirs, installation of LPG storage tanks, extensions to single-dwelling building, basements, backyard developments and swimming pools. The notice also proposes the entire removal of Class 14 for the reservation of public land for the placing of tables and chairs.

The Planning Authority will continue to receive DNO requests in accordance with the current DNO regulations until the publication of the new legal notice which will be regulating the Authority's procedures for Applications and their Determination.

The public and interested parties may view the proposed DNO legal notice from the Authority's website here.

Submissions may be sent in writing to the Authority, through email address dno@pa.org.mt. The public consultation closes on Monday, the 2nd of May 2016.

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