2020 Budget has incentivised over-development, green lobby group says

The government's 2020 Budget, announced last Monday, has once again incentivised property purchases and refrained from reining in over-development, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) has said.

"Instead of reining in over-development that is causing so many problems, the government has again incentivised property purchases, sacrificing Malta's long-term wellbeing in order to enrich developers," FAA said in a statement on Thursday.

The NGO argued that the budget failed to include measures to ensure quality or aesthetics in new buildings, or to implement the EU requirement for energy-efficient buildings. "Measures favouring the installation of solar panels are dampened by the fact that many panels are being rendered useless due to being overshadowed by tall buildings," the statement read.

FAA said that it welcomed the capped subsidy for appeals lodged by NGOs against planning decisions but argued that this is only a small step since such appeals should be the exception to the rule as opposed to a situation where NGOs have to regularly appeal against abusive planning permits. 

"While FAA welcomes many proposals made in the 2020 Budget, when seen holistically, the Budget falls far short of ensuring an effective and sustainable environment for all," FAA said.