Halt planning reform parliamentary process, Kollettiv tells government

Il-Kollettiv has called on the government to halt the parliamentary process on the planning reforms presented late last week, and to rewrite them in a manner that truly reflects the needs of the population and the country.

“Whilst agreeing in principle that construction works cannot commence while an application is still under appeal, il-Kollettiv notes that the proposed bill regulating appeals does not place residents and applicants on the same footing,” the NGO said.

However, the NGO said a raft of other provisions in the reform need to be heavily amended, if not scrapped altogether, since they essentially remove the citizen not only from the decision making process, but also forbids them from seeking legal recourse. Other parts of the reform will cause untold legal uncertainty, allowing ministers and PA board members excessive power without means for redress.

“Parts of the bill make for shocking reading, particularly the way in which the concept of vested interests are allowed to override laws protecting environmental and citizens’ rights,” said Il-Kollettiv Secretary Wayne Flask. “These provisions are unacceptable in any democratic state and ought to be repealed.”

The group criticised the way the reforms were tabled in parliament without a public consultation, and called on the government to respect its own procedures.

Moreover, the group said, it is disappointed at the way in which the authorities have first sought to push an unpopular reform by stealth, and then used various propagandists to silence and attack dissenters.

“The government should respect civil society, not only on account of the NGOs’ expertise on matters relating to planning, but also in the spirit of dialogue and transparency. Resident groups should be placed at the forefront of these reforms and included at every turn,” Il-Kollettiv said. “We are ready to debate the technical aspects of the reform, and we believe the government should open a public consultation at the earliest. The practice of rushing laws through and then backtracking after public uproar amounts to bad governance, especially when civil society and resident groups have not been given time to react to what is a pro-development wishlist.”

The statement is endorsed by the resident groups of Zurrieq, Safi, Mellieha, the Marsaskala Residents Network and Wirt iz-Zejtun.