Is Muscat cementing a new alliance?

It is no secret that a number of developers are not happy with the way things are going at MEPA. The laissez faire attitude of Gonzi's pre 2008 years had led to a middle class insurrection which resulted in a superficial green conversion by the PN on the eve of the election. The conversion at first seemed so superficial that Gonzi was busy signing an agreement with the Armier squatters while heralding his green credentials. But it surely signaled an alarm bell for the cement lobby.

But following the election we have seen MEPA becoming more vigilant against ODZ development be it in the form of ODZ fireworks factories, be it the demolition of town houses (like the one belonging to Polidano in Balzan or the tower block proposed next to the Lija tower), be it the sanctioning of boathouses at Dwejra  or  countryside dwellings.  The blue-grey alliance is in crisis.  Obviously we still have to see what will happen to applications presented by Big Cats like the one at Hondoq ir-Rummien. Together with the application at Ta'Cenc  this will be the litmus test for the government's Eco Gozo policy. But the indication is that with regards to land use MEPA is becoming more serious under Austin Walker's helm.

On the other hand we are still assisting the same film whenever  development is justified by presumed economic growth or government policies. The proposed road passing through prime agricultural land towards Smart City, another passing right through  Burmarrad, the destruction of agricultural land in Safi to make way for an aviation park (approved by a sheer DNO in just 4 days ) and the inclusion of Natura 2000 sites in the White Rocks project are examples of the limits of the green conversion. Strangely all this is happening without any strong objections from Green Ngos.

In the context of all this Labour has been sending mixed messages; for example by warming up to an airstrip in Gozo and remaining silent on many issues . Labour also has within it people like Michael Falzon who favours ODZ fireworks factories and architects who propose ODZ applications on the same scale as their PN counterparts.

The question Labour will have to answer is will a future Labour government be on the side of developers and the building industry or will it be on the side of the environment? I hope that Labour will not try to exploit the contradictions within  the Nationalist Party to try to win support from the construction lobby.  I hope Labour is not making the calculation that there are very little votes to be gained from the green lobby .

Muscat's proposal to present a motion to repeal the the increase in tariffs on all kinds of planning applications could be an indication that Labour is trying to win kudos from developers. Surely I perfectly agree with Muscat that as was the case with the energy bills, the government has imposed measures which cut across the board. In this case tariffs have been increased both for promoters of big projects as well as people who simply apply to carry out alterations on their homes. But why not present amendments to only repeal those tariffs which do not pass the social fairness test?It would also have been a step in the right direction to introduce cheaper tariffs for certain types of eco-friendly developments such as restoration of old buildings.

But ultimately I have to say that I agree with the principle that the tax payer should not pay to subsidise development applications. It would be shameful if public funds instead of going to education end up in MEPA's coffers to subsidise applications by big and small developers. It is a shame that the same government which increased development tariffs across the board was the same one which gave MIDI a €3.3 million discount on a €4.5 million tariff MIDI plc had to pay for construction waste dumped at sea between 2001 and 2006. This was all money which would have went to MEPA's coffers. Instead it was the tax payer who had to make up for it.

But let us not forget that according to the new planning regime development applications will be processed according to an established timeframe which can be as short as 16 weeks for normal applications. Efficiency also comes at a cost. What is lacking in the new tariffs is an element of social and environmental justice. That what's Labour should be clamouring for.

Why not present a motion on party financing to ensure that all donations from the fat cats are declared instead as suggested by the newly  set up Malta Developers' Association?