Junior minister announces government's plan to amend local plan

The government was in the process of drafting a new plans to update it "to reflect today's realities", parliamentary secretary for planning Michael Farrugia announced today.

The 2006 local plan "does not necessarily" reflect today's realities and discussion with permanent secretaries have already kick started to revise it.

The government, the junior minister said, was also giving people the chance to finish projects whose permits were issued after August 2006 but which, for various reasons, were never finalised.

"These projects must now be finalised by 31 March 2014. The new law regulating the local plan would come into force by then and these projects would be provided for in plan," Farrugia said.

He also said that those properties which were not fully in line with their permits would be given the opportunity to regulate themselves: a new policy would state that if a section of the development was not in line with the permit, the owner would beallowed to use the area which complied with the permit while giving the owner "a second chance" to regulate the 'illegal' part according to permit.

Addressing a well-attended public consultation meeting, Farrugia described the new MEPA board as "the most environment-friendly board" there has ever been.

MEPA's debt stands at ?28 million, Farrugia said adding that the reduction of MEPA tariffs will  help in increasing income.

"The reduction of tariffs has already resulted in a 25% increase in applications when compared to the same period last year."

Farrugia said MEPA was in the process of revising and introducing a number of policies, some of which he described as "urgent" and pointed out petrol stations and fireworks factories which lacked clear policies.

Speaking on the planned revisions of the policy regulating high rise buildings, Farrugia said his "dilemma" was whether to extend a building horizontally or vertically.

"Personally I prefer not entering into ODZ areas, but at the same times I hate small rooms. If we have empty places let's built decent apartments," he said, reassuring those present that government wanted to tackle the 77,000 empty buildings around Malta.

Farrugia said projects and developments which resulted in creation of jobs would be speeded up.

He also spoke briefly about land reclamation and said the challenge was finding the balance between development and safeguarding the environment. The government, he said, was in the process of issuing an expression of interest for planned projects involving land reclamation.

"Projects which will prove to make economical and social sense will enjoy priority," he said.

He also announced that the Lands Department will start settling off compensation it owed to the public for land expropriation. In total, the department owes ?80 million. By the end of the year, it is set to settle those cases where it owes up to €15,000.

Farrugia also announced that a second planning and appeals tribunal will be set up to review new cases. Currently there were 500 cases which awaited a sentence while 500 others are waiting to appear before the tribunal.

As there was no law which limited the number of tribunals, the new tribunal will be set up to tackle new cases.

The junior minister also announced that in preparation for the V18, a number of dilapidated buildings in Valletta, owned by the government, will be up for development by a public tender to develop hostels and small hotels.