Carmel Cacopardo pointed out that the Local Plans, which were approved around 14 years ago in 2006 relaxed height limitations in various localities. As a result, a number of low-lying residences have ended up sandwiched between blocks of flats. Being literally in a perpetual shadow they cannot benefit from solar energy neither to generate renewable energy nor to be able to make use of solar water heaters. 

This is the result of the planning policy makers doing their utmost to avoid the provisions of the Strategic Environment Assessment Directive of the EU which was only implemented in Malta a few weeks after the approval of the Local Plans.  The Strategic Environment Assessment Directive of the EU seeks to examine policies, plans and programmes in order to ensure that their environmental aspects are effectively considered. Avoiding this Directive meant that the conflict between height relaxation and access to sun’s rays to generate solar energy could not be addressed.

The impact of the increase in the permissible building height is increasing in severity with time as the redevelopment of old properties is being gradually taken in hand. This is resulting in the shadowing of an ever-increasing number of residential units in a number of residential areas. As a result, solar water heaters and photo voltaic panels installed on a number of roofs in the past years, are now in the shade for a considerable amount of time and consequently they are practically useless. Investments made by a number of our families have been sacrificed on the altar of development greed. Subsidies (including those originating from EU funds) which were utilised to assist the tapping of solar energy have thus been thrown down the drain.

In Parliament, earlier this week Minister Miriam Dalli in reply to a Parliamentary Question stated that government was holding internal discussions on the matter. Unfortunately, over the years the matter has been discussed many times to date unsuccessfully.

The most obvious option is to revise as much as possible the height relaxation carried out in 2006. This will however be very difficult to carry out, and, if done, it will most probably be followed-up by a request for compensation running into many millions of euro.

Alternatively, one can seek to introduce solar rights on new buildings without further delay. ADPD calls for planning policies to be amended to ensure that all new properties, in particular blocks of flats, are able to generate sufficient electricity to cater for the number of units in new buildings, thus ensuring carbon neutrality.

In so doing a history of planning wrongs would commence the long and difficult road of correction.

***

Daqshekk bini sandwich – id-dritt tal-użu ta’ enerġija mix-xemx u l-mira żero karbinju għandhom ikunu parti mill-policies tal-ippjanar

Fi stqarrija u video-messaġġ illum, iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD Carmel Cacopardo saħaq illi l-politika dwar l-ippjanar ta’ l-użu tal-art għandha tkun aġġustata biex ikun imħares id-dritt ta’ aċċess għax-xemx (solar rights) u b’hekk ikunu kkoreġuti l-pjani lokali.

Il-pjani lokali, li kienu approvati ftit iktar minn 14-il sena ilu, fl-2006, ħabu sfreġju sħiħ madwar Malta u Għawdex kollha, hekk kif kienu żiedu l-għoli permissibli tal-iżvilupp f’diversi lokalitajiet. Bħala riżultat ta’ dan, bini b’għoli ta’ mhux iktar minn żewġ sulari spiċċa sandwich bejn blokki ta’ flats. Billi dan issa qiegħed b’mod permanenti fid-dell la jista’ jiġġenera enerġija mix-xemx u l-anqas ma jista’ jipproduċi misħun għall-użu domestiku bis-sħana tax-xemx. 

Dan seħħ minħabba li dawk li fasslu l-politika dwar l-ippjanar tal-użu tal-art għamlu ħilithom biex jevitaw l-effetti tad-direttiva tal-Unjoni Ewropea dwar l-istima ta’ l-effetti ta’ ċerti pjanijiet u programmi fuq l-ambjent (Strategic Environment Assessment Directive). Din id-Direttiva ġiet implimentata f’malta ftit ġimgħat wara li kienu ġew approvati l-pjani lokali. Din hi direttiva li tfittex li teżamina politika (policy), pjani u programmi biex ikun stabilit u eżaminat l-impatt ambjentali tagħhom. Li ġiet evitata jfisser li l-kunflitt bejn l-għoli miżjud tal-iżvilupp u l-aċċess għax-xemx biex tkun ġġenerata enerġija rinovabbli ma setax ikun indirizzat.

L-impatt ta’ din il-bidla fl-għoli permissibli tal-bini qiegħed jiżdied biż-żmien għax issa qed isir żvilupp mill-ġdid ta’ bosta propjetajiet li ilhom ftit ta’ żmien li nbnew. Dan qed joħloq ħafna dellijiet fuq bosta djar residenzjali fl-ibliet u l-irħula tagħna. Bħala riżultat ta’ dan il-pannelli fotovoltajċi u l-istallazzjonijiet li jsaħħnu l-ilma bix-xemx (solar water heaters) stallati fuq il-bjut ta’ bosta residenzi issa qegħdin fid-dell għall-ħin twil u ġew ma jiswew xejn. Dawn huma investimenti li għamlu ħafna familji Maltin li ġew issagrifikati fuq l-altar tar-rebgħa tal-hekk imsejjaħ żvilupp. Sussidji użati bħala għajnuna biex niġġeneraw l-enerġija mix-xemx, inkluż dawk li oriġinaw minn fondi Ewropej, f’numru mhux żgħir ta’ każi spiċċaw moħlija.

Iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa, fil-Parlament, il-Ministru Miriam Dalli, fi tweġiba għal mistoqsija parlamentari qalet li l-Gvern għaddej b’diskussjonijiet interni dwar il-materja. Sfortunatament tul is-snin dan ġie diskuss diversi drabi bla success.

L-iktar possibilità ovvja hi li fejn hu possibli jitreġġa’ lura l-għoli permissibli tal-bini għal dak li kien fl-2006. Dan imma, hu diffiċli biex isir, u kieku kellu jsir tasal talba immedjata għal kumpens ta’ miljuni ta’ euro.

Hu possibli li jkunu introdotti drittijiet dwar l-aċċess għax-xemx f’bini ġdid bla iktar dewmien. ADPD issejjaħ biex ir-regoli tal-ippjanar jistgħu jkunu emendati b’mod li jkun assigurat illi fil-bini ġdid, b’mod partikolari fil-bini ta’ flats, ikun possibli li minn fuq il-bjut tagħhom tkun ġġenerata l-enerġija mix-xemx. Dan jassigura li kull blokk ġdid ta’ flats ikun carbon neutral, jiġifieri jiġġenera elettriku mix-xemx daqs kemm ikun ikkunsmat.

B’hekk nistgħu nibdew bil-mod insewwu l-ħsara li saret.