Why do permits for new buildings continue to be approved when the number of empty or underutilised houses is equivalent to 6 times the size of Tas-Sliema? What kind of planning is this, asked  ADPD-The Green Party spokespersons this morning when addressing a press conference on the results of the Census on the characteristics of residential property that has just been published.

ADPD – The Green Party chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that the 2021 census report published earlier this week once again shows that the property that is being left empty along with underutilised property (secondary residences and vacation rentals) continues to increase. From 297,304 residences recorded in the Census, 81,613 of them were classified together as a property that is not used, or that is being used little. This means that 27.5 percent of the residential property on a national level is either empty or barely used. This is of concern.

In fact, the total number of empty or barely used houses is equivalent in number to 6 times the number of residential houses in Tas-Sliema. Due to the small size of the country this is a huge problem and results in an extra burden on public spending. All these residences are served by roads, electricity, sewage and water services at a substantial cost that could have been used more beneficially in other areas where there are residences that are used continuously.

While these 81,613 residential properties are empty or underutilized, the building industry continues to build more, and the problem continues to grow. They call this progress, but it is in fact environmental destruction of the little land we have to build property that is then left empty or underutilised.

This is not something that started today. Neither the Labour Party nor the Nationalist Party have ever paid attention to the consequences of environmental destruction, despite the many crocodile tears they sometimes shed, to give the impression that they care.

Instead of addressing the issue, the PN government increased the size of the development area through the addition of land through the so-called “rationalization” exercise. On the other hand, the Labour Party in government, continues to encourage more development and refuses to reverse or cancel the decision by which the one million square metres were given over for development. The 2006 expansion of the developable land needs to be reversed immediately.

With more than 80,000 empty or barely utilised properties, what sense does it make to continue issuing permits for large-scale development that continue to add to the accumulated amount of vacant properties? Cacopardo concluded.

ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that ADPD has been insisting that there should be as many incentives as possible to entice property to be utilised. In the case of a property that, despite the incentives, is left empty for a long time, there should be fiscal disincentives to discourage this behaviour. This will contribute to reducing the price of rents and also more reasonable property prices.

It makes no environmental sense to use land (including agricultural land) for development and subsequently keeping the so-developed property vacant. Nor does it make economic sense to invest so many resources without seeking to reap economic benefits. Those who persist in keeping their properties unused for a long time must pay tax on the unused property. This tax partially compensates for the expenditure incurred by the country in the creation of ghost towns made up of vacant property. Spending on infrastructure is incurred, regardless of whether the property is left empty or not.

A tax on empty property helps to start controlling and calming the property market because it contributes to more properties entering the market: for rent or for sale. An empty property tax is an incentive for the property to be put on the market, rather than keeping it empty and paying for it.

The Government recently changed its position on taxes and introduced a deposit on plastic bottles and other containers, which increases with increased consumption and is forfeited if the containers are not returned properly. We applauded this because this environmental tax is contributing to reducing waste. The same happens with a tax on empty property: it starts to gradually reduce the number of empty properties and leads gradually to more reasonable prices. This is a necessary social measure to tame the property market.

In spite of more than 80,000 empty or underutilised properties we still have a waiting list at the Housing Authority for those looking for alternative accommodation. The Housing Authority should make use of the empty property that already exists and not continue to build more and more housing.

The primary conclusion from this Census is a clear message to the Planning Authority to stop dishing out permits which have led to more than a quarter of the properties in our country being left vacant. With a stretch of land six times the size of Sliema full of residences that are empty or hardly used things could not be clearer, concluded Gauci.

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Djar vojta: sitt darbiet daqs ta’ Tas-Sliema

Għaliex ikomplu joħorġu permessi għal bini ġdid meta in-numru ta’ djar vojta jew dawk kemm kemm użati huwa ekwivalenti għal 6 darbiet id-daqs ta’ Tas-Sliema? Dan x’ippjanar hu staqsew kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party dalgħodu meta indirizzaw konferenza stampa fuq ir-riżultati taċ-Ċensiment dwar il-karatteristiċi tal-propjetà residenzjali li għadu kemm ġie ippubblikat.

Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, il-Perit Carmel Cacopardo qal li r-rapport taċ-ċensiment tal-2021 ippubblikat iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa għal darba oħra juri li l-propjetà li qed titħalla vojta flimkien ma’ propjetà użata ftit (residenzi sekondarji u villeġġjatura) qed ikomplu jiżdiedu. Minn 297,304 residenza li rriżultat fiċ-Ċensiment, 81,613 minnhom ġew ikklassifikati flimkien bħala propjetà li mhux użata, jew li qed tintuża ftit. Dan ifisser li  27.5 fil-mija tal-propjeta residenzjali  fuq livell nazzjonali hi jew vojta nkella uzata ftit. Dan huwa ta’ tħassib.

Filfatt, in-numru totali ta’ djar vojta nkella bil-kemm użati  huwa ekwivalenti fin-numru għal 6 darbiet tad-djar residenzjali f’Tas-Sliema. Minħabba d-daqs żgħir tal-pajjiż din hi problema enormi u tfisser piż żejjed fuq l-infieq pubbliku li dan l-żvilupp esagerat qed jikkawża. Dawn ir-residenzi kollha  huma moqdija b’toroq, elettriku, drenaġġ u servizzi tal-ilma bi spiża sostanzjali li setgħet tintuża b’aktar benefiċċju f’żoni oħra fejn hemm residenzi li jintużaw kontinwament.

Filwaqt li dawn il-81,613  il-proprjetàjiet residenzjali mibnija huma  vojta  jew mhux użati biżżejjed, l-industrija tal-bini tkompli tibni aktar – u b’hekk il-problema tikber kontinwament. Dan isejħulu progress, imma filfatt hu qerda ambjentali, tal-ftit art li ghandna biex nipproduċu propjeta li titħalla vojta jew li tintuża ftit.

Din mhix xi ħaga li bdiet illum. La l-Partit Laburista u lanqas il-Partit Nazzjonalista qatt ma taw każ tal-konsegwenzi tal-qerda ambjentali, minkejja l-ħafna dmugħ tal-kukkudrilli li kultant ixerrdu, biex jagħtu l-impressjoni li taparsi jimpurtahom.

Minflok ma  jindirizza l-kwistjoni, il-gvern tal-PN żied id-daqs taż-żona tal-iżvilupp permezz taż-żieda tal-hekk imsejjaħ eżerċizzju ta’ “razzjonalizzazzjoni”. Dakinhar miljun metru kwadru ta’ art ODZ ingħatat għall-iżvilupp, u qisu ma ġara xejn. Min-naħa l-oħra, l-Partit Laburista fil-gvern, baqa’ jħeġġeġ aktar żvilupp u ma għamel xejn biex irazzan jew iħassar id-deċiżjoni li biha l-miljun metru kwadru fl-ODZ ingħataw għall-iżvilupp. Din id-deċiżjoni jeħtieġ li tiġi riveduta malajr kemm jista’ jkun.

B’aktar minn 80,000 proprjetà vojta jew kemm kemm utilizzati, x’sens jagħmel li jibqgħu joħorġu permessi għal żvilupp fuq skala kbira li qed ikompli jżid mal-kwantità akkumulata  ta’ proprjetajiet battala? temm jgħid Cacopardo.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Sandra Gauci qalet li ADPD ilha tinsisti li għandu li jkun hemm inċentivi biex tħajjar li l-propjetà tkun utilizzata. Fil-każ ta’ propjetà li minkejja l-inċentivi titħalla vojta għal żmien twil, għandu jkun hemm disinċentivi fiskali biex dan l-imġieba tkun skoraġġita. Dan ikun ta’ kontribut biex kemm il-prezz tal-kirjiet kif ukoll dawk tal-bejgħ tal-propjetà ikunu iktar raġjonevoli milli huma llum il-gurnata..

Ma jagħmel l-ebda sens ambjentali li tuża l-art (inkluża art agrikola) biex isir żvilupp u sussegwentement iżżomm il-proprjetà hekk żviluppata vojta. Lanqas ma jagħmel sens ekonomiku li tinvesti daqstant riżorsi mingħajr ma tfittex li tirkupra benefiċċji ekonomiċi. Dawk li jippersistu li jżommu l-propjetajiet tagħhom mhux użati għal żmien twil għandhom iħallsu taxxa fuq il-proprjetà mhux użata. Din it-taxxa parzjalment tikkumpensa għan-nefqa li jagħmel il-pajjiż  fil-ħolqien ta’ bliet fantażma magħmulin minn proprjetà vojta jew propjetà kemm kemm użata. L-infieq għall-infrastruttura jsir, irrispettivament jekk il-propjetà titħalliex vojta inkella tkunx użata.

Taxxa fuq il-propjetà vojta tgħin biex jibda jitrażżan is-suq tal-propjetà għax tagħti kontribut biex iktar propjetajiet jidħlu fis-suq: għall-kera jew għall-bejgħ. Dan flok ma jibqgħu vojta u jħallsu taxxa talli jibqgħu vojta.

Dan l-aħħar il-Gvern bidel il-pożizzjoni tiegħu dwar it-taxxi u introduċa depożitu fuq il-fliexken tal-plastik u kontenituri oħra. Id-depożitu mħallas jiżdied skont il-konsum u jintilef jekk il-kontenituri ma jiġux irritornati kif suppost. Għamel tajjeb għax din it-taxxa ambjentali qed tagħti kontribut biex jonqos l-iskart minn fliexken tal-plastik u kontenituri oħra. L-istess jiġri b’taxxa fuq il-propjetà vojta: din tibda gradwalment tnaqqas in-numru ta’propjetajiet vojta  u twassal pass pass għal prezzijiet iktar raġjonevoli. Din hi miżura soċjali meħtieġa biex jitrażżan is-suq tal-propjetà bis-serjetà.

Barra minn hekk, b’aktar minn 80,000 propjetà vojta jew parzjalment użati ma jagħmilx sens li jkun hemm lista ta’ stennija fl-Awtorità tad-Djar għal dawk li jfittxu akkomodazzjoni alternattiva. L-Awtorità tad-Djar, biex tindirizza l-lista ta’ stennija għal akkomodazzjoni alternattiva għandha tagħmel uzu mill-propjetà vojta li diġà teżisti u mhux tkompli tibni iktar.

Il-konklużjoni primarja minn dan iċ-Ċensiment hija messaġġ ċar lill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar biex tieqaf tagħti l-permessi bl-addoċċ li qiegħed iwassal biex aktar minn kwart tal-propjetajiet f’pajjiżna jinsabu battala. B’medda ta’ art sitt darbiet daqs tas-Sliema mimlija residenzi li huma vojta jew ftit li xejn jintużaw l-affarijiet ma jistgħux ikunu iktar ċari, temmet tgħid Gauci.