The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said that any extension of boundaries for further development is detrimental to the tourism industry.

In a statement, the MHRA said the government must actually ensure that only 10 per cent of submissions are entertained when it comes to the final approval. This will equate to 2.4 per cent increase in boundaries which MHRA considers already high. The other fact that once the development boundaries are approved, the government is binding the zones for the next 10 years is welcome and a step in the right direction.

MHRA reiterated that ideally there will not be any increases in boundaries in order to protect the little open country Malta has left from further development.

Tourists visiting the islands often complain that Malta is one large building site since cranes top the skyline in every direction and many streets in most tourism zones are blocked for months on end due to construction.

The MHRA would like to see more enforcement on building sites so that these are managed to proper European standards, the building process does not cause nuisance to locals and visitors and furthermore these do not cause loss of business to commercial establishments in the vicinity of such sites while these are being developed.

Any development should be subjected to rigorous regular inspection and subject to a specific time frame for completion of the project with stiff penalties if works are not completed on time, the MHRA said.

The MHRA noted that no indication of the time frame was given in the minister’s press release to ensure that the process is carried out within a defined period and avoid abuse of this opportunity by speculators.