Hiding behind a screen? PA evasive on return of physical meetings

The Planning Authority is being non-committal as to whether it will reintroduce physical participation in its Planning Board meetings, where decisions on major projects impacting on local communities are taken.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, PA planning board meetings determining controversial applications like that on the DB project in Pembroke, have been held online, with board members, developers, architects and the general public participating from the comfort of their homes or offices.

Asked whether in view of the lifting of COVID restrictions, public meetings would be reintroduced, a PA spokesperson replied that the Authority has “received very positive feedback from all stakeholders with the way the meetings that are held in public are carried out following the COVID outbreak”.

But the PA “does not exclude introducing a hybrid system (allowing both on-line and physical participation) in the future.”

Over the past months, the public health authorities have lifted restrictions on public events, include political rallies as long as social distancing rules are respected.

But while the PA claims that it has received “positive feedback” from stakeholders on the way meetings are being held, Moviment Graffitti, a stakeholder and regular participant in these meetings, is insisting on the reintroduction of physical participation in public meetings.

“Online meetings are no adequate substitute to physical meetings. Besides being often marred by technical glitches, and also not being accessible to everyone, online meetings widen the distance between the Board members taking very important decision that directly impact people’s lives, and the people impacted by such decisions,” activist Andre Callus told MaltaToday.

Callus also said online participation reduces the effectiveness of community participation, where groups of residents and activists often organise themselves to participate in such meetings collectively, something that is much less impactful when people are all alone behind a computer.

While describing PA board and commission meetings as “a façade for planning decisions taken elsewhere” – as confirmed by developer Joseph Portelli in an interview last Sunday, where he said that he decides on whether to press ahead with projects after meeting ministers – public participation in these meetings still empowers communities.

“Community participation during PA board and commission meetings bring to the fore the anger of the people at the greed of the few that is ruining their quality of life, and board members are forced to face this anger directly, making them often feel awkward and uncomfortable,” Callus said.

Graffitti has also come up with a concrete proposal on how the meetings should be held in the future.

“One should consider introducing a system whereby members of the public have both options: to attend in-person or online. However, board and commission members should be physically present at such meetings.”