After the honeymoon, a deep dive into planning policies

New buildings in Gozo will have to use Maltese stone for their facades in a policy change piloted by Gozo and Planning Minister Clint Camilleri. 

The new policy also applies to the backside of buildings where these are overlooking ODZ zones. 

The idea behind such a policy is to have visually pleasing buildings that are more in tune with the traditional character of Gozo’s villages. It is a good move that is very much in synch with the strategy adopted by the Gozo Regional Development Authority called ‘Gozo: An island of villages’. 

But as much as aesthetics play an important role in creating pleasant urban environments, such a new policy only addresses the ‘ugliness’ aspect of the building frenzy. It is a first step and this leader hopes it will not be the last. 

In his interview with this newspaper last Sunday, Camilleri was non-committal on several key policy changes that would truly make a difference to the way development takes place not just in Gozo but also in Malta. 

To be fair, Camilleri has only been responsible for the planning portfolio since the second week of January and is still coming to grips with the situation. But he should be using his 100-day honeymoon period to get up to speed with pending issues that have remained so for years, not least the rural development policy (RDP). 

The RDP was introduced in 2014 to provide clarity on what type of developments could take place in ODZ areas. It was intended to help farmers by providing the planning parameters for the development of agricultural stores, stables, reservoirs and residences attached to farms. 

However, the policy also allowed ODZ land owners to redevelop long-abandoned buildings into residential property if they could prove that someone lived there many years ago. This policy loophole saw piles of stone being turned into villas because the owner managed to dig out some old electoral register showing that somebody lived there 100 years ago. 

The government had committed itself to change this loophole. A draft policy had also been published but three planning ministers later, the RDP remains unchanged. 

Amending the RDP should be a top priority for Camilleri within the next 12 months. 

The second issue he should be focussing on is amendments to the local plans so that unspoilt open spaces can be protected from development. 

Camilleri will shortly be signing on the changes to the Gozo Local Plan so that no development will be allowed at Ħondoq ir-Rummien in Qala. It will represent a crowning moment for Qala Mayor Paul Buttigieg, who has been campaigning for more than two decades to save Ħondoq from ruin. 

But the same legal argument government is using to reverse past decisions that had allowed some form of development to take place at Ħondoq should be applied to other areas that were added to the development zones in 2006. 

The government should do a stocktake of those areas that were added to the development zones in the rationalisation exercise of 2006 to determine which of those areas today warrant protection because of their unspoilt character, their agricultural use, or their importance as an open space within an intense urban environment. Those areas falling within these categories and on which no type of planning or zoning permit has been issued, should be protected through a change in the local plans. 

After all, in Ħondoq, the Planning Authority has argued that the land owners who were prospecting the development of a luxury village and yacht marina could not claim pretended rights since no permit had ever been issued. The underlying argument is that designating an area as developable in the local plan does not automatically give land owners pretended rights. This leader believes the same principle should be adopted elsewhere. 

Camilleri should not shy away from taking a deep dive into other policy areas to determine how best to change them in a bid to safeguard the environment, historical landscapes and allow people the space to enjoy community life within their localities. 

The minister is right in saying that everyone is against development up to the point that it does not concern them. But blaming people for wanting to better their lives through the redevelopment of the house their parents may have bequeathed them will not solve anything. 

This is why policies exist. Policies should provide clarity and equity. Stopping development outright is not only unrealisable but undesirable. Policies must ensure that where development takes place, what people develop and how it is built are premised on a sustainable model that keeps in mind Malta’s limited space, the country’s needs and the wellbeing of communities.