The GRTU’s property developers section has written to Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino urging the introduction of a charge for the filing of objections to development applications, which at present can be filed at no cost.

The section said that as the minister knew, the government was eliminating bureaucracy and there had been considerable reforms in court with which everyone was satisfied.

Justice was available to all, irrespective of means, it said, but no one should expect anything for free even if it burdened the judicial bureaucracy, and especially anyone who had a genuine case.

The process of lodging objections to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the consideration of such objections, the GRTU said, should be cleaned up. There should no longer be a system under which anyone, because it cost nothing, could lodge an objection, irrespective of whether or not prima facie he was in the right. Too many objections were being lodged simply to create an obstacle and put developers through the expense because of unnecessary delays, bank interests, experts’ reports and other causes.

The process should be that anyone who had a genuine case would have the right to make that case, and pay for the administrative and bureaucratic inconvenience the case created. Provisions should be created to grant state aid where necessary but anyone not on social assistance should not expect to have the right to file objections for free.

The GRTU said it had already written to the Mepa chairman asking for a meeting to discuss the issue and it requested a meeting with the minister to explain the urgent need for the reform it was asking for.