WATCH | Planning reform is an exercise in ‘malice’

The authors of Malta’s controversial planning reform scrutinised and targeted successful appeals by civil society, proposing legal changes that could neutralise these victories, Claire Bonello said. 

A lawyer and environmental activist, Bonello did not mince her words in an interview with MaltaToday published today: “This exercise was carried out with malice.” 

She claimed the proposed legal changes appear to be crafted not to improve justice, but to curtail it. “This law is there to neutralise the right of access to justice in environmental and planning cases,” she said. 

Bonello argued that the bills’ authors had closely reviewed past legal wins by NGOs and activists, then introduced specific provisions aimed at preventing similar outcomes. 

She recalled one example where an appeal tribunal denied her team access to a property during a site visit, even though the developer, owner, and Planning Authority officials were allowed entry. 

Though the court later ruled in the activists’ favour, Bonello pointed out that the new legislation appears to eliminate the possibility of such appeals being made. 

“This is not a planning law issue, but one of common sense and natural justice,” she added. 

The government has promoted the bill as a step forward, saying it will suspend development during appeal procedures. This was a promise made by Prime Minister Robert Abela in 2023 and one that activists had long been clamouring for. 

But Bonello dismissed this positive development as a distraction. “It’s as if the government is giving you a cherry, but dipped in poison,” she said. 

She described the bills as vindictive and dangerous, arguing that it undermines fundamental rights under the guise of reform.