The Church’s Environment Commission yesterday expressed its concern over proposals to amend development zones. While understanding the need to address anomalies in respect of patches of land that were originally left out of development zones, the commission said that the changes will lead to a reduction of environmental and natural resources, and therefore does not agree with the general guidelines being proposed.

The commission said it came to this conclusion after discussing the published documents and taking into account the objection made by other organisations, including the Chamber of Architects, the Chamber of Planners and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.

The commission said that in the past years the country lost too much land in development that was not always sustainable.

Although every approved development plan was backed by reasons that at the time seemed valid, the end result was always the same – that more land was being lost.

In the context of a small country such as ours, the time has come for us to realise that space is a limited resource and therefore we should use what is left in the best way possible.

A study that was carried out by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in 2002 had shown that within the boundaries of existing development zones one could accommodate 98,300 more residential units, and this without counting vacant property that amounted to 23 per cent of existing houses.

The report envisaged that by 2020 Malta’s needs would be of 41,200 units, which include second homes. From conservative estimates, the changes proposed to the development zones would translate into 22,000 new accommodation units. The commission therefore questioned why there was a need to propose new arrangements when the current stock available could meet the demand.

A study of the criteria upon which the boundaries will be changed show that they are not always clear and give rise to different interpretations to which sites can be considered for development and which requests can avoid the scrutiny of planning authorities.

It is possible that the same exercise will remove pockets or infill plots in existing boundaries, but at the same time create others, which after a time could lead to the need for a similar exercise, the commission said.

It added that it recognised the dilemmas faced by the authorities to regularise injustices and anomalies committed over several years because of the current development zones. However, in the context of the country’s size, the commission does not believe that their extension is a solution.

For example, the sustainable use of land means that better use should be made of vacant buildings within the existing development zones before one turns to other land, even if this means revising the rent laws. The commission believes that with some commitment one can find other alternative and sustainable measures to give compensation to whoever has a problem related to the existing boundaries.

Apart from this, there is another principle that one should keep in mind, the commission said. Malta had become part of history when it promoted the concept of the Common Heritage for Humanity. This principle sustains that in the use of the planet’s resources one should look for the common good rather than the interests of the few.

The extension of the development zones falls within this line of thinking. The commission said it does not make sense that to solve problems for a few individuals the rest of the citizens are deprived of their enjoyment of the natural environment. If Malta was bigger and could sustain a more widespread use of land, then the commission would have dealt with the matter differently. But the authorities should make an effort to protect the common heritage.

The commission appealed to all those involved in the issue to put the common good and the quality of life above anything else. This should be everyone’s responsibility, particularly if he or she is a Christian, the commission said.

If the owners of such land are prepared to give it up as a sign of their responsibility and commitment towards the environment, this could be the first step towards a national scheme leading individuals and entities to buy or offer land that is left untouched for future generations.

The commission said it was making this appeal knowing that changes to the development zones involve Church organisations. It appealed to these to be the first to put their values into practice. This would be the greatest example they could give, the commission said.