REPORT BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

REPORT BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Mr Martin Saliba

The year 2020 was difficult for everyone and not least

for the Planning Authority. However, looking back on my

first full year as the Executive Chairperson, I can proudly

say that we managed to overcome the many challenges

that the pandemic brought upon us, while simultaneously

continuing our work to serve the public.

The Covid-19 outbreak at the start of the year presented disruptions to regular processes and

we needed to work towards ensuring the safety of all employees and stakeholders. A new

protocol was immediately introduced, allowing Executive Council, Planning Board and Planning

Commission public meetings to be done through video conferencing. The public’s participation

was a priority here and a step-by-step user manual was published to help the various users

participate. Moreover, the Authority also extended development permits, which were to expire

at the end of 2022, for a further three years. This was done to prevent major disruptions which

could have led to imbalanced construction across the island once the situation is normalised.

The pandemic changed the way we work possibly forever and the Planning Authority led this

shift towards remote working very swiftly. In a matter of days, almost all employees were

switched to remote digital working. The IT unit distributed new laptops, bought a new server

and relevant software licences, and successfully set up hundreds of employees to work from

home. This was no coincidence as it came after years of investment in ICT and a gradual cultural

shift was implemented. The ICT team also improved the eApps portal, requiring Periti to submit

and access documentation electronically. This facilitated digital processing of planning and

development applications. By avoiding the need to meet physically, everyone saves time and we

reduce the negative environmental impact of driving and printing paper.

The ICT, Mapping and Digital Services Directorate updated operational systems and their

also launched in 2020 and servers and systems were thus updated to cater for this. The number

of planning applications and, in turn, plotting requests decreased during the year. This led to

human resources being redeployed elsewhere within the Authority in order to make the best use

of resources.

On the other hand, the Corporate Services Directorate pursued the PA+ project, which provides

employees with training in operational management, customer care, media and communications,

EU Affairs and ICT. We are proud to continue engaging in these activities over the coming year.

Sponsorships in the geomatics field were awarded to four employees through the SpatialTRain

project and 951 hours of training were provided to staff to continuously improve the quality of

service provided to the public. This Directorate also encouraged the donation of vacation leave

to the Government’s central leave fund.

The Compliance and Enforcement Directorate embraced the changes that 2020 brought with

it and did not compromise its work. It was not possible to cease all site inspections, but the

Authority ensured that all officers took all the necessary precautions as instructed by the health

authorities. A new team manager was appointed to the Sectors/Major Projects Team and new

Compliance and Enforcement officers were employed withing the Development Zone Team and

the Outside Development Zone Team. The Directorate saw a decrease of 1,782 commencement

notices compared to the previous year, which is attributed to the impact of the pandemic in

relation to commencement of new development. Moreover, a total of 169 stop and enforcement

notices were issued throughout the year, while the pending caseload accumulated since 1993

was reduced by 8%. In 2020, the Directorate closed 74 enforcement cases by removing illegal

developments through direct action.

Furthermore, the past year also saw the split between the planning and development functions

with the creation of the new directorate focusing on development management. The Foreign

Policy Research, EU Affairs and Funding Division (FPREAFD) funded various projects throughout

the year. 17 new project contracts were signed, totalling €1.4 million, and the “Sebbaħ Il-Lokal” scheme was extended for a further two years. The Strategic Planning Unit (SPU) presented

Local Plan Reviews, while also amending three Local Plans. 2020 also saw the review of the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED) whereby internal and external

studies gathered data to identify development issues.

The Planning Authority is proud to have participated in an EU funded project, MSP-MED,

through the Green, Blue, Development Unit (GBDU). The goal here was to align the current work

to improve governance at national level in both policy formulation and data management for

Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). The GBDU aims to integrate sustainability within the planning

framework and this year it worked towards determining the coastal zone’s vulnerability to

erosion, prepared recommendations for integrating coastal erosion in spatial planning policies,

as well as, assessed development applications in vulnerable areas.

The past year will ultimately be remembered as the year during which everyone had to adapt to

extraordinary circumstances and I feel that we took these challenges in our stride by adapting

to new experiences efficiently. We must now learn from the challenges faced in 2020 and work

smarter, using the technologies that are available to us, to constantly improve our service to the

public.