All Planning Board and Planning Commission meetings have been suspended by the Planning Authority as of this coming Monday. This directive will remain in force until further notice.
The PA explained that the issuing of permits related to Summary Procedure applications, the Development Notification Order (DNOs) and minor amendments, unless requiring a board/commission decision will remain unaffected.
The Authority said that it has also introduced a number of procedural changes with immediate effect.
These relate to the issuing of Certificates associated to the Duty on Documents and Transfers Act and applications related to the Development (Removal of Danger) Order.
In the case of the issuing of Certificates related to the Duty on Documents and Transfers Act (CAP. 364, L.N. 281 of 2019), all requests will now require the Notary’s Email Address as part of the submission, together with the previous requirements.
All certificates will now be sent electronically to the Notary. No certificates can be collected from the Planning Authority until further notice.
The Authority went on to say that with respect to applications related to the Development (Removal of Danger) Order, all authorisations for emergency remedial works to mitigate or remove existing danger, will now be sent only by electronic means to the Perit. Until further notice no hard copies of these authorisations will be sent by post.
The number of employees who provide front desk services to Periti and the public on a daily basis are also being reduced by the Authority.
This means that as from Monday, the front desk services provided by the Planning Authority from its offices Victoria, Gozo and in Floriana will be limited.
Until further notice, payments for Planning Authority bills are to be made online, at Maltapost branches or by cheques mailed to the Authority. No payments will be accepted at front desk except those related to services provided by the front desk.
Customers are encouraged to contact the Authority via other channels of communication. One may call on 2290 0000, or send an email to customercare@pa.org.mt [1].
To report or follow-up an enforcement issue, one may send an email to enforcement.complaints@pa.org.mt [2]
Meetings between Planning Authority officials and Periti or the general public will only be held by appointment, it said.
These measures may be updated if the situation changes and new directives are issued.
While striving to ensure continuity of service, the Planning Authority appreciates the customers’ support in following these measures and use of the alternative channels.