The Church’s Environment Commission has criticised the procrastination when it comes to changes to planning laws and development policies.

Malta and Gozo have long been subjected to overdevelopment, to pencil developments and the uglification of our living areas.

The government has spoken about protecting the environment, yet what has really been done to improve our urban areas from a planning perspective? The answer, is little.

In a paper published on the occasion of the World Day of Urban Planning, the commission criticised “those who tried to introduce the concept of a precedent in the planning system”. It says such a method does not make sense because planning proposals cannot be compared because of different exigencies and context. The commission said that permissions given in a suspicious manner should not serve as a precedent for future development.

There have been many proposals over the years to try and improve the situation in Malta. Some have recommended a skyline policy, some have recommended stricter local plans, others uniformity in design. Each will have their merit.

But for policy changes to really work, what would be needed is strong political will by those at the top, and a strong will by those on the Planning Boards, to look at the whole picture of a locality and ensure that applications would not destroy the fabric of the surrounding area or lead to its uglification.

Sadly, Planning Boards have failed in this regard. A quick look at the overall state of certain localities is testament to that.

The more development intensifies without proper wide-view planning, without changes to infrastructure that are needed, and here on can simply look at Sliema, St Julian’s and possibly even Xlendi, the more problems will be created.

Since the country has decided to focus on medium and high-rise buildings in Sliema and St Julian’s one would expect an upgrade of all infrastructure to have been reflected, and perhaps a proper plan for the future of the area.

When it comes to urban conservation areas, one would expect to see a gradual rise in building height on the edges, not a stark increase from two-storeys on the edge of the zone to four or five storeys adjacent, as can be seen in places like Mosta.

Changes in Planning policies are needed and, while they might not yield immediate results, in the long-term they might. Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri had spoken about the idea of the kind of materials used to construct facades. Yes, using traditional Maltese stone does help in terms of uniformity, but that is not the only reason people are concerned with the amount of development.

The government has made many promises to protect the environment, its about time we start a serious conversation about the urban environment as well. Are we happy with our surroundings?