Contrary to what was claimed by Government, the SPED document approved by Parliament does not conform to the objections made by the eNGOs, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar said.

In a statement, the eNGO said it maintained that this replacement of the Structure Plan regulating Malta’s development and environment is too vague and open to interpretation, creating convenient loopholes for abuse.

The Prime Minister has accepted the Opposition’s motion that revisions to Outside Development Zones are to be presented to parliament before coming into force. This is a hypocritical and hollow promise as the SPED will allow projects to be constructed on sites outside development zones if no "feasible" solution can be found. FAA maintains that the SPED, along with the Rural Policy and Design Guidance 2014 will open the way for so much more building in ODZ that actual changes to the ODZ borders will not be needed.

The passing of the SPED marks yet another step in the direction of environmental degradation, undermining Malta’s economy, tourism and public health, FAA said.