Graffitti calls for wide planning reform in exhaustive document on construction in Malta

Moviment Graffitti has published a report on planning and construction reform in Malta, that follows on from their 2019 Iż-Żejjed Kollu Żejjed protest, with proposals to regulate sectors affecting the quality of life of residents in Malta. 

The document, endorsed by 23 groups, is a culmination of various consultations with NGOs, involving technical and legal advice, as well as a public forum held in August of last year, where Graffitti invited citizens for a discussion on ideas to improve the quality of residents’ lives. 

“Through our proposals, we are hoping to ensure the sustainability of what is an important industry for the Maltese economy; however, we think it is high time that ‘sustainability’ no longer remains a mere buzzword used to justify profits for the business classes, but it should also become a reality for thousands of citizens and their quality of life,” the NGO said.

A salient demand brought up in the document is the revision of several policies and legislative acts. Among the proposals is the revision of various planning papers, including the SPED and Rural Policy 2014 documents, to better protect townscapes and designated ODZ areas. This includes the closing of various loopholes in SPED and prohibiting the extension of existing dwellings outside development zones (ODZ). 

Graffitti make further proposals on the powers and composition of the Planning Board, and will demand that PA board members be held personally responsible for their conduct if policies or ethical codes are breached or in the event of a conflict of interest, with the ability to be sued for damages caused by their misdeeds. 

In submitting development applications, Graffitti calls for a complete ban on the practice of splitting a single project into smaller applications to avoid necessary impact assessments, with any correspondence or information on submitted designs to be made fully available and free of charge. 

Vocal challengers of large-scale projects like the ITS-DB development, Graffitti also call for appropriate investigation by authorities like the FIAU into the source of wealth of developers proposing mega-projects. 

They also demanded a moratorium on large-scale projects until national and localised masterplans are enacted. 

The document published by Moviment Graffitti today

In a bid to counter an unregulated growth in construction, Graffitti will call for a government-run registry of developers and contractors in order to revoke the existing agreement between the Malta Developers Association and the Building Regulation Office. A public complaints system is proposed alongside a register of these complaints to allow for follow-ups and transparency, as well as the opportunity to blacklist contractors in the event of repeated complaints. 

Echoing an earlier proposal by the Kamra tal-Periti, Graffitti also illustrated the need for a legal framework that brings together all building and construction regulations under one single law, and introduce a Building Code and Construction Code. 

Graffitti will also propose an ongoing audit of all construction sites under operation.