Planning ‘action plans’ won’t say when land is public

Action Plans drafted by the Planning Authority to set the planning parameters for particular sites which cannot be addressed by local plans due to special circumstances, will no longer be required to specify whether land falls under public ownership or not.

The current law, which is now being replaced, clearly states an Action Plan must  “show the land which is in public ownership and the land which is intended to be brought into public ownership”.

But the newly proposed planning law does not make any reference to this planning obligation.

This means that when such ‘action plans’ are drafted the public will no longer be informed whether land is under public or private ownership.  

The current law ensures that the public is informed about the status of private structures encroaching on public land.

An action plan or a management plan is a plan setting parameters for a particular specific area where special factors have to be taken into account solely on the basis of the local plans.   

Action plans approved in the past included the Ta’ Qali action plan which sets out planning parameters for the national park and the Ta’ Qali convention centre, the Dwejra natural park action plan and the Crown works action plan.  The Marfa action plan issued in 2002, which sets planning parameters for the Armier boathouse development, has yet to be approved.