Ġustizzja għal Artna launches nationwide tour against proposed planning laws

Environmental coalition Ġustizzja għal Artna has announced a nationwide outreach tour targeting towns and villages across Malta and Gozo, aiming to rally public opposition to government planning proposals which campaigners say would open the door to “reckless construction” and dismantle essential safeguards.

In a statement on Friday, the coalition said Tour Ġustizzja għal Artna will visit communities over the coming months to explain how the proposed laws, including Bills 143 and 144 and three related legal notices, would affect residents’ quality of life, the environment, and Malta’s cultural heritage.

The campaign argues that the package of reforms were designed to satisfy the wishes of developers. The bills would hand sweeping and arbitrary powers to the Planning Authority, weaken the right to appeal its decisions, strip courts of the ability to revoke illegal permits, and offer an amnesty for a broad range of environmental infringements.

The tour will officially begin at Birżebbuġa Parish Square on Sunday, 30 November at 9:30am, in collaboration with Għaqda Storja u Kultura Birżebbuġa. Representatives will set up an information stand, where residents will be invited to ask questions, voice concerns and offer suggestions.

The group said it intends to continue traveling to local squares and community hubs across the islands, joining forces with local organisations to take the call for the withdrawal of the destructive planning laws to the heart of Maltese and Gozitan communities.

Although the government has promised to revisit the proposals and hold further consultations with NGOs and residents, the campaign remains doubtful that what it describes as “fundamentally flawed” legislation can be fixed. It noted that no updated draft has yet been published.

Ġustizzja għal Artna reiterated its demand for the complete withdrawal of the legislative package and the launch of a genuine consultation process to deliver a true planning reform that protects the public interest.