DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE Director - Perit Silvio Farrugia This was the year that saw the split between the forward planning and development control functions, resulting in the creation of a new directorate focusing on development management.
The year 2020 was mainly characterised by the extraordinary measures which had to be taken to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the entire Authority’s staff confined to working from home, the Development Management Directorate’s ability to retain the necessary level of communication remotely, and to effectively manage and coordinate its workload without disruption, was tested to its limits.
The Directorate had made great efforts over the previous two years to implement a hot-desking/ teleworking scheme for all its staff, and this exercise paid off when obligatory teleworking was implemented due to the pandemic. The transition was practically seamless, and this was reflected in the results obtained throughout. Although aided by a general slowdown in the receipt of applications, the overall performance was a marked improvement over the year 2019.
The Directorate also continued with its efforts to recruit and train new staff in-line with the Authority’s succession planning strategy.
Major Projects Unit (MPU) The processing of Major Projects development applications is not only limited to the assessment of the development proposal but, in many cases, involves extensive discussions with all stakeholders involved. This process starts well ahead of the actual submission of a development application and continues throughout the planning process.
During the year, the Unit assessed different types of proposals which proved very challenging in achieving high quality sustainable development within the established Planning Policy and legal framework. The unit processed a variety of proposals which consisted of large-scale retail establishments and industrial development for community facilities, quarries and high-rise/ landmark buildings for commercial use and tourism accommodation. 11
