BirdLife Malta is against the recent government proposals to extend the existing building development boundaries.

In a letter to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa), BirdLife Malta warned that this exercise would lead to increased pressure to extend building zones in future, and whereas social injustices might have taken place in the past, these inequities would not be corrected by overriding the planning processes of the country.

BirdLife Malta said it was concerned that the proposals created a negative precedent and would serve to accumulate further pressures on the land in future.

The NGO also strongly objected to the proposed setting up of a committee to evaluate requests for land to be included within development zones as this created an anomaly in the planning process and leads to confusion and abuse.

“BirdLife Malta contends that there is sufficient land to meet the need for new dwellings over the Structure Plan period i.e. up to 2020. This is proven by the fact that Mepa is still approving a considerable number of applications for new dwellings even though urban development outside development zones is well restricted through planning policies. At the same time, BirdLife Malta is also concerned that over the past years there has been a drastic increase in Outside Development Zone applications.”

BirdLife Malta said it was therefore objecting to the rationalisation of development boundaries and it called on the government and Mepa to withdraw these plans.