The Planning Authority has reversed a decision it had taken to hide objections to development applications from their public database after it came under pressure on Tuesday.

It emerged on Tuesday morning that the PA had removed all objections filed by members of the public to any planning application from view on its public database, with the decision coming after an internal notice was circulated within the authority.

However, in a statement later in the day, the PA said that it had reversed its decision and justified it in the initial sense by saying that it was part of the recommendations of a data protection audit carried out on the authority.

“Following a GDPR internal audit, the Authority was advised that representations received through email and conventional mail were potentially in breach of data protection since personal data was being published and available to the public,” the PA said in a statement.

“Given the fact that the Development Planning Act does not provide any guidance for the processing or accessibility of representations, the Authority opted to follow the guidance as stipulated in the GDPR,” it continued.

In order to allow further consultation on the matter, the PA said that it had reversed its decision and will once again keep all representations available to public.

The Authority reminded the public that persons wishing to submit a representation without disclosing their identity may still opt to submit a representation through the eApplications system or through the Authority’s website www.pa.org.mt (using the “Submit Representation” link provided upon searching for a case during the statutory representations period).

In addition, submitting a representation through the Authority’s eApplications system also ensures that the content of the representations will be made available publicly whilst limiting access to the person’s contact details, they said.

The Authority apologised for any inconvenience this may have caused and said that it remains committed to ensure that the planning process is transparent and open to public access and scrutiny.   

The decision brought ire from environmental activists, with NGO Moviment Graffitti particularly saying that this was tantamount to a declaration of war.

A spokesperson for Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia also told this newsroom that the minister had not been informed of the PA's decision and that he would be seeking clarification on the matter.