NGOs bash 'sham' consultation on planning reforms

Environmental NGOs have accused government of attempting to push through its planning reform that would strip away safeguards, reward illegalities, and hand unprecedented power to developers.

In a statement on Wednesday, the groups dismissed the current consultation process, launched in early August, as a “sham” built on documents that were “malicious in intent and structurally irreparable.” They said the proposed changes serve the interests of developers rather than the common good.

The NGOs are now calling on the public to make their objections known before the consultation deadline on 7 September, warning that the legislative package poses an “unprecedented threat” to the environment and to quality of life across the islands.

The proposed reforms came in the middle of summer and will make it harder for building permits to be overturned on appeal. The proposed changes also give the minister new powers to introduce regulations that establish the “procedures, criteria, and conditions under which existing illegal developments or structures may be assessed, regulated, or otherwise addressed” by the PA.

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Government’s reforms grant more discretionary power to planning boards to deviate from policies; limit the court’s ability to revoke permits; and limit appeals to the grounds stated in objections filed before a project is approved.

The NGOs warned that through such changes, Outside Development Zone (ODZ) protections could effectively “vanish overnight.”

The accompanying legal notices, the NGOs said, amount to a blanket amnesty on illegal developments by removing restrictions on size, scale, or location.

“This package was clearly devised in bad faith to satisfy developers at the expense of citizens’ rights, our environment, and quality of life,” the statement read. The groups demanded the proposals be scrapped in their entirety and replaced with a genuine reform process starting with a White Paper that prioritises the common good.

The NGOs said they would announce further actions in the coming days.

The statement was signed by BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Għawdix, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust – FEE Malta, Ramblers Association, Wirt Għawdex.