Bending and relaxing planning laws: Din l-Art Ħelwa AGM 2021

Bending and relaxing

plAnning lAws

DIN L-ART ĦELWA – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2021

Din l-Art Ħelwa’s Annual General Meeting was held on 24 February. Due to the social restrictions of the Covid pandemic, members were invited to follow the meeting online. The organisation’s executive president Professor Alex Torpiano, secretary general Simone Mizzi, treasurer Martin Scicluna, council member Professor Luciano Mule Stagno and office manager Rosanne Zerafa, met at a venue at the University of Malta. Din l-Art Ħelwa members were able to follow the presentations, ask questions and participate in voting, online via Zoom.

Besides the president’s address, and the reports of the secretary and treasurer, the meeting adopted three resolutions. As usual, these highlighted the current concerns of the organisation on planning and environment related matters.

The first resolution dealt with the need for good governance in development planning. Good governance in spatial planning in Malta has been found lacking. It is not an independent process that gives due weight to our natural and cultural assets when proposing a long-term vision of the islands. Instead, it is a process whereby planning laws continue to be bent, and relaxed, on the advice of ‘experts’ close to the development lobby.

Planning boards are packed with partisan members, leaving the real power in the hands of government which promotes projects according to its whims or worse. Watchdog entities, such as the Environment and Resources Authority, and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage have been rendered toothless, and their recommendations on applications largely ignored. ‘Independent’ tribunals deciding appeals against decisions taken by the Planning Authority are chaired by officials effectively seconded from the same Authority, to whom they return once their term is up. At the AGM, Din l-Art Ħelwa called for a truly independent Planning Authority, with members of the various Boards who are truly independent and who can properly evaluate planning applictions, and apply legislation and policies based on the long-term needs of the country and the merits of the proposal. It also called for a clear delineation between government as the legislator who fashions the long-term socio-economic objectives of Malta, and the Authority, as the executor, once and for all, since only in this way will the country be guaranteed the environment and the quality of life its citizens deserve.

The second resolution called for an urgent review of Annex 2 of the Design and Policy Guidelines. These were approved in 2015 by simple ministerial notice, and have enabled the wholesale demolition of terraced houses, and their haphazard replacement by 5- to 6-storey apartment blocks, all over the islands. This policy is a primary cause of the ongoing ‘uglification’ of Malta, the destruction of our urban areas, the desecration of our heritage buildings, and ensuing environmental degradation. The third resolution noted that, while the safeguarding of the landscape and the cultural and artistic patrimony of Malta and Gozo is enshrined in Article 9 of the Constitution of Malta as a grave obligation on the State, the article is deficient because, according to Article 21, no action in any court can be taken to enforce this provision. At the AGM, Din l-Art Ħelwa called for an amendment to the Constitution of Malta, to introduce a mechanism enabling civil society to monitor, challenge and enforce the protection of our natural and built heritage, as enshrined in Article 9 of the Constitution. The introduction of such a mechanism will ensure the enforceability of the obligations of protection and preservation, to introduce a necessary element of sustainability of our longterm health and quality of life. n

(Left to right) Treasurer Martin Scicluna, Professor Luciano Mule Stagno, Executive President Professor Alex Torpiano, Secretary General Simone Mizzi

Watchdog entities, such as the Environment and Resources Authority, and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage have been rendered toothless