The campaign Ġustizzja għal Artna is calling for the immediate amendment of the current laws regulating planning appeals so that works are suspended during the appeal process, as logic dictates and as has been repeatedly promised, yet never delivered, over the past three years.

This call comes in light of the recent Court decision revoking the illegitimate permit for the overbearing 10-storey Halland Hotel in Swieqi, with the Court finding that the Planning Authority had arbitrarily chosen one policy over another in order to favour the developer. However, by the time of the ruling, the massive building had already been largely constructed.

As has occurred in countless other cases, residents who bore the burden of challenging flawed decisions by the Planning Authority were effectively denied justice. This is the consequence of a system that allows developers to proceed with construction even while a permit is under appeal and therefore not yet definitive.

The protracted saga of planning appeals reform epitomises the influence developers wield over Government. For three years, Government has acknowledged that allowing works to continue during an appeal process is absurd and has pledged to address the matter. Yet instead of implementing this necessary reform, it presented a so-called planning reform package that will dismantle Malta’s key planning safeguards. The reform of planning appeals is merely one component of a broader package that caters to all developers’ wildest wishes; if enacted, it will actually render planning appeals ineffective or meaningless.

Thanks to widespread public resistance, this developers’ wishlist, disguised as planning reform, has, for the time being, been halted, but not withdrawn. We reiterate our call for a proper and holistic reform of the planning system, beginning with the withdrawal of the current bills and proposed legal notices and the initiation of a genuine process that places the common good at its core.

In the meantime, however, the long-promised measure to suspend works while a planning appeal is underway must be implemented without delay through a straightforward amendment to the existing law.

Absurd situations such as that of the Halland Hotel would not arise if Government chose to do what is right and logical, rather than bending over backwards to appease developers.

Organisations:
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Friends of the Earth Malta
Front Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent
Għawdix
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers’ Association of Malta
Wirt Għawdex

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It-taħwida tal-Halland Hotel tista’ tiġi indirizzata permezz ta’ emenda sempliċi sabiex jibdew jiġu sospiżi x-xogħlijiet waqt appell

Il-kampanja Ġustizzja għal Artna qed issejjaħ sabiex il-liġijiet attwali li jirregolaw l-appelli tal-ippjanar jiġu emendati minnufih sabiex ix-xogħlijiet jiġu sospiżi waqt il-proċess tal-appell, kif titlob il-loġika u kif ġie mwiegħed ripetutament tul dawn l-aħħar tliet snin.

Din is-sejħa qed isseħħ fid-dawl tad-deċiżjoni riċenti tal-Qorti li tirrevoka l-permess illegali għall-Halland Hotel — binja massiċċa li titla’ sa 10 sulari — bil-Qorti ssib li l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar kienet għażlet li timxi ma’ policy partikolari, u injorat oħrajn, sabiex taġevola lill-iżviluppatur. Madankollu, meta nqatgħet is-sentenza tal-Qorti, il-binja massiċċa kienet diġà kważi nbniet għalkollox.

Kif seħħ f’diversi każijiet oħra, ir-residenti li investew flushom u ħinhom biex jiġġieldu kontra d-deċiżjonijiet irregolari tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar xorta waħda spiċċaw imċaħħda mill-ġustizzja. Dan kollu huwa l-konsegwenza ta’ sistema li tħalli lill-iżviluppaturi jibdew u jibqgħu għaddejjin bix-xogħol ta’ kostruzzjoni anke meta permess ikun qed jiġi appellat u għalhekk ma jkunx definittiv.

Din is-saga bla tmiem tar-riforma tal-appelli tal-ippjanar hija l-aqwa xhieda tas-setgħa li l-iżviluppaturi għandhom fuq il-Gvern. Għal tliet snin, il-Gvern għaraf l-assurdità f’li x-xogħlijiet ta’ kostruzzjoni jitħallew għaddejja waqt appell, u wiegħed li se jindirizza din il-kwistjoni. Iżda minflok ma implimenta din ir-riforma neċessarja, il-Gvern ippreżenta l-hekk imsejħa “riformi fl-ippjanar” li essenzjalment se jżarmaw is-salvagwardji ewlenin tal-ippjanar f’pajjiżna. Ir-riforma fl-appelli tal-ippjanar hija biss element wieħed ta’ pakkett leġiżlattiv sħiħ li jissodisfa x-xewqat kollha tal-iżviluppaturi, anke dawk l-aktar assurdi. .Jekk jiddaħħal fis-seħħ, l-appelli tal-ippjanar se jitilfu l-effettività u l-valur tagħhom.

Grazzi għar-reżistenza mifruxa tal-pubbliku, din il-lista ta’ xewqat tal-iżviluppaturi — li ġiet ippreżentata lill-pubbliku bħala xi riforma fl-ippjanar — ġiet, għalissa, imwaqqfa, iżda mhux irtirata għalkollox. Qed nerġgħu ntennu s-sejħa tagħna għal riforma proprja u ħolistika tas-sistema tal-ippjanar, billi l-ewwel nett jiġu rtirati l-abbozzi ta’ liġi attwali u l-avviżi legali proposti, u billi jkun hemm proċess ġenwin li jagħti prijorità lill-ġid komuni.

Sadanittant, madankollu, il-miżura li ilha tiġi mwiegħda 3 snin sabiex jiġu sospiżi x-xogħlijiet tal-ippjanar waqt appell trid tiġi implimentata bla aktar dewmien permezz ta’ emenda sempliċi lil-liġi eżistenti.

Sitwazzjonijiet assurdi bħal dik tal-Halland Hotel ma jibqgħux iseħħu kieku l-Gvern jagħżel li jagħmel dak li huwa ġust u loġiku, minflok ma jkompli jaġevola l-interessi tal-iżviluppaturi.

Għaqdiet:
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Friends of the Earth Malta
Front Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent
Għawdix
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers’ Association of Malta
Wirt Għawdex