The extension of three years to approved planning permits which had a deadline of up to 2022 was done for "purely environmental reasons" so that Malta does not turn into "one single construction site" when the Coronavirus crisis ends, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said in Parliament on Wednesday.
The news of the three-year extension, which will apply to all permits which expire between now and 2022, courted controversy when it was announced in recent days. Permits issued by the Planning Authority generally remain valid for a period of five years, before they would need to be renewed.
Answering a parliamentary question from government backbencher Jean Claude Micallef, Farrugia explained that the rationale behind the decision to extend the deadline of the permits was so that Malta does not become one big construction site once this crisis ends as a result of people frantically hurrying to get all works done before their permit expires.
The peace of mind given by the extension, Farrugia explained, would safeguard Malta from this potentially happening. He reiterated that the decision hence was taken for "purely environmental reasons".
PN Whip Robert Cutajar also questioned Farrugia on the waste sector and, especially, plans for the extension of the Maghtab landfill to the detriment of a vast area of agricultural land.
Farrugia said that there had been "developments" in this regard and that the government is in consultation with stakeholders such as the Naxxar local council so that the landfilling part of the project will not take up any agricultural land.
He noted that the incinerator is still penned in to be built at Maghtab, adding that an agreement had been reached in this regard two years ago where even Harry Vassallo, the former AD chairperson and current chairperson of the Guardian of Future Generations, had agreed with this idea.
He said that a decision with regards to the landfill will be announced in the current days or weeks.
On the same subject, Farrugia said that waste separation is indeed being done, and negated what had been shown by the PN's media in this regard as the mixing of black bags and organic bags at a particular plant which needed a certain volume to function - something which had been done for years.