“The key problem with the Planning Authority is that it repeatedly ignores its own planning rules, as confirmed by Court of Appeal decisions this past week. IThe Authority applies its rules rigidly with the common citizen but is super flexible when it comes to the big and powerful developers. It is imperative that planning places people at the centre of decision making, placing people before profit and power!” ADPD – The Green Party spokespersons addressed a press conference about these issues in front of the Planning Authority offices in Floriana.
ADPD Deputy Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that land use planning is a controversial process in and of itself since it requires decision making. Hence the need for the Planning Authority’s work to be carried out diligently and consistently. Unfortunately, the Planning Authority is lacking both. Its board members or its different bodies are not always to blame. Sometimes it is those who appoint them who are responsible.
One recalls the case of the Planning Authority board member who was involved in a real estate agency. Whoever would like a serious land use planning process will not make such appointments. How couldn’t they see the crystal clear conflict of interest in this case? Neither will a private jet be sent to Sicily to bring over a board member to make sure that the dB permit in Pembroke is approved. Such manoeuvres over the years will not be forgotten easily and have brought the whole planning process into disrepute.
All the controversies that we read about display an attitude of a Planning Authority applying rigid rules with the common citizen but being flexible with the powerful. In the face of well-known speculators, the Planning Authority bends over backwards almost without limits to justify practically anything. Thanks to this the regulatory planning process is not trusted by virtually everybody, concluded Gauci.
ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that the key problem with the Planning Authority is that it repeatedly ignores its own planning rules. For this reason, just this week the Appeals Court nullified another two decisions of this same Planning Authority.
In the case of Mistra the renewed permit for a 12-storey development is not in line with the planning rules in force today, 10 years after the permit had been first issued. Although the Environment Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) had refused the residents’ appeal, the Court of Appeal has concluded that the residents’ claims were not examined adequately by the EPRT and sent the case back to the drawing board.
Another decision by the Court of Appeal this week has cancelled the permit for a hotel in Mellieha in an area where the local plan forbids it. The Mellieħa Local Council appealed the PA’s decision. In this case the original recommendation to refuse this application had been ignored both by the Development Control Commission as well as by the EPRT.
In the meantime, construction work on this Mellieħa hotel proceed so that by the time the appeal was decided the building was finished albeit without a permit. Moreover, since it is a hotel, it was granted a concession to build an additional two floors over and above the prevailing height. We now expect the building’s use to be changed from that of a hotel to one which is acceptable in a residential area and with the heights permissible in that area: the extra two floors need to be demolished expeditiously. Cacopardo said that only when this is done will the message be heard loud and clear: even omnipotent speculators are subject to the laws of the land!
Cacopardo said that these are only two cases that reveal how planning laws – albeit with their imperfections – may lead to sensible decisions, as long as those who take them are able to apply the rules correctly. This is the greatest reform needed at the Planning Authority: that within its structures the right persons are appointed who are willing to follow the rules. Unfortunately, such people are few and far between, concluded Cacopardo.
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L-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar: ir-riforma meħtieġa
“Il-problema bażika tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar hi li kontinwament tinjora ir-regoli tal-ippjanar tagħha stess, kif ġie konfermat b’deċiżjonijiet mill-Qorti ta’ l-Appell din il-ġimgħa. Huwa każ fejn din l-Awtorità dejjem tkun riġida maż-żgħir u flessibli mal-kbir u ma’ min hu b’saħħtu. Hemm bżonn li l-ippjanar ipoġġi lin-nies fiċ-ċentru tad-deċiżjonijijet li jittieħdu u li dawn jiġu dejjem qabel il-profitti u l-poter!” Dan qaluh kelliema ta’ ADPD – The Green Party meta ndirizzaw konferenza tal-aħbarijiet quddiem l-uffiċji tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar fil-Floriana.
Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD, Sandra Gauci qalet li l-ippjanar għall-użu tal-art hu minnu innifsu proċess kontroversjali għax jirrikjedi teħid ta’ deċiżjonijiet. Għalhekk huwa essenzjali li l-ħidma tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar isir dejjem b’reqqa u b’konsistenza. Sfortunatament l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar hi nieqsa mit-tnejn: kemm mir-reqqa kif ukoll mill-konsistenza. Mhux dejjem hu tort tal-membri tal-Bord jew tal-korpi differenti fl-Awtorità. Xi drabi hu tort ta’ min jaħtarhom.
Niftakru meta irriżulta li wieħed mill-membri tal-Bord tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar kien involut f’aġenzija tal-bejgħ tal-propjetà. Min irid proċess tal-ippjanar għall-użu tal-art serju ma jaħtarx dawn it-tip ta’ nies b’kunflitt ta’ interess li jinxtamm minn seba’mili ‘l-bogħod. L-anqas ma jibgħat jet privat fi Sqallija biex iġib membru tal-Bord għal-laqgħa ħalli jkun assigurat li l-permess tad-dB f’Pembroke ikun approvat. Dawn il-manuvri li saru tul is-snin ma jintesewx malajr u jnisslu sfiduċja fil-proċess kollu tal-ippjanar.
Il-kontroversji kollha li għaddejna minnhom juru li l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar hi riġida maż-żgħir u flessibli mal-kbir. Fejn hemm proġetti ta’ spekulaturi magħrufa l-flessibilità tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar hi kważi bla limitu tant li jirnexxielha tiġġustifika kważi kollox. Riżultat ta’ dan, il-proċess regolatorju tal-ippjanar ma jgawdi l-fiduċja ta’ kważi ħadd, temmet tgħid Gauci.
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD Carmel Cacopardo qal li il-problema bażika tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar hi li kontinwament tinjora ir-regoli tal-ippjanar tagħha stess. Għal din ir-raġuni, din il-ġimgħa stess, il-Qorti tal-Appell ħassret żewġ deċiżjonijiet oħra tal-istess Awtorità tal-Ippjanar.
Fil-każ tal-Mistra il-permess imġedded għall-iżvilupp b’għoli ta’ tnax-il sular mhux kompatibbli mar-regoli tal-ippjanar li huma fis-seħħ illum, 10 snin wara li kien ħareġ il-permess għall-ewwel darba. Għalkemm it-Tribunal ta’ Reviżjoni għall-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar (EPRT) ma kienx aċċetta l-appell tar-residenti, il-Qorti tal-Appell waqqfet kollox għax ikkonkludiet li t-talbiet tar-residenti ma ġewx eżaminati sewwa mill-EPRT.
Deċiżjoni oħra li ħarġet din il-ġimgħa kienet dwar żvilupp fil-Mellieħa fejn il-Qorti tal-Appell ħassret permess ta’ żvilupp għal lukanda f’żona fejn ma kienetx tista’ tinbena. Hawnhekk kien il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Mellieħa li ressaq dan l-appell. Dan kien każ fejn il-parir oriġinali biex din l-applikazzjoni tiġi rifjutata kien injorat kemm mill-Kummissjoni għall-Kontroll tal-Iżvilupp kif ukoll mill-EPRT.
Sakemm kien deċiż l-appell il-lukanda tal-Mellieħa tħalliet tinbena biex issa għalkemm hi lesta hi bla permess. Il-lukanda ngħatat konċessjoni li jkollha żewġ sulari iktar mill-bini ta’ madwarha. Issa nistennew u naraw il-passi li jmiss li għandhom jinkludu bidla fl-użu tal-binja tal-lukanda f’użu kompatibbli ma’ żona residenzjali u b’għoli skont ir-regoli li japplikaw għal kulħadd: jiġifieri nistennew li jitwaqqgħu żewġ sulari minn dawk li nbnew bla wisq dewmien. Meta dan iseħħ, qal Cacopardo, forsi jibda jasal il-messaġġ, li l-ispekulaturi omnipontenti, fl-aħħar, ukoll huma soġġetti għal-liġi.
Cacopardo qal li dawn huma biss żewġ każijiet li juru li anke jekk mhumiex perfetti, ir-regoli tal-ippjanar jistgħu jwasslu għal deċiżjonijiet li jagħmlu sens – basta li dawk li jeħduhom ikunu kapaċi jimxu mar-regoli! Din hi l-ikbar riforma li teħtieġ l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar: li fiha u fl-istrutturi tagħha jinħatru persuni serji li kapaċi jimxu mar-regoli dejjem. Neqsin minnhom dawn in-nies, temm jgħid il-Perit Cacopardo.