Planning meetings online system fails on first appointment with controversy

An online planning meeting to decide on proposed road widening in a picturesque Rabat valley had to be postponed after too many people registered to join the hearing.

The development has cast doubt on the electronic system’s ability to cope when even more controversial projects, such as the DB development in Pembroke, come up for discussion.

The Planning Authority board was scheduled to tackle the project that involves widening of a carriageway and the construction of a promenade on the ramparts of Wied tal-Ġnien Ħira valley in Rabat.

The development is located between Nigret and the Roman Villa.

But the meeting had to be postponed, first for an hour, and then for next week, because too many people had tried to join the teleconference.

Some of those who could not join included board members.

For the past weeks, PA online meetings dealt with less controversial projects and functioned seamlessly.  

But the online system failed when the first application to attract a degree of public participation came up for consideration.

This does not bode well for other controversial projects like the DB project in Pembroke which are expected to attract an even greater number of people considering that the application has already attracted over 3,000 objections.

Environmental groups have already demanded that the DB application is discussed in a physical meeting.

The online system was introduced during the COVID-19 period to ensure that the PA boards continue to function while giving the public the opportunity to participate online through a simple and efficient registration system.

But critics had already expressed concern that the system would penalise those who lacked digital access.

After this morning’s problems were not resolved, board chairperson Vince Cassar announced that the meeting had to be postponed for next week.
He also hinted that a hybrid meeting could be held, where some members of the public would be invited to participate from the board room, in full respect of social distancing rules.

The Rabat project had attracted 1,156 objections mainly due to the ecological impact of the project. The latest plans indicate that 1,900sq.m of land will be covered by the cantilevered structure.

The undeveloped land to be taken up by the proposal contains a number of important species like the Grass-leaved Pepperwort. The project will also uproot 16 trees, including the largest fig trees in the Maltese islands.

The Transport Ministry wants to better accommodate traffic passing through these roads by converting the existing road into a “standard single lane carriageway”, apart from embellishment works that will consist of a belvedere on a piling structure inside the valley.

Architect Robert Fenech explained that the aim of the project is to improve both pedestrian access and car connectivity between Nigret and the Roman Villa area to ensure better safety standards.