Fines to facilitate the issuing of permits for illegal development do nothing to solve the problem except to pass on the message that you can buy anything you desire if you have the money, even if it is not yours to buy, Sandra Gauci,  ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson, and Carmel Cacopardo, ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Chairperson, said Saturday.

"The current situation regarding land planning is of great concern, particularly because the government is continuously giving speculators greater flexibility whilst at the same time weakening any protection granted to protect land and residential communities," Cacopardo said.

One of the most obvious steps that the government must urgently take is to ensure that when an application for a development permit is turned down and an appeal is lodged, no development should be permitted until the appeal is concluded. Whilst the government has been saying that it is in agreement with this, unfortunately, it appears that the government has been dragging its feet in putting it into law."

"The Government is engaged in a non-stop onslaught on land that falls outside the development zone.  Not only was agricultural land condemned to development by Parliament in 2006, but now we see the government is also trying to facilitate the development of sports facilities for speculation purposes.  We must keep in mind that a number of our sports facilities are already built on ODZ land.  This move jars with the campaign for green spaces and 700 million euro earmarked for these projects.  How can a government be considered credible about open spaces, when those open spaces provided by nature are being sacrificed on the altar of speculation?" continued Cacopardo. 

"The same is happening about illegal development outside designated development zones.  It is a grave mistake to issue permits for buildings that were illegally built in ODZ areas over the years.  We are continuously sending the wrong message that environmental damage can be rectified by paying a fine.   These fines do not solve anything.  They simply transmit a dangerous message that anything can be bought, including what does not belong to you.  It also implies that money is absolution, and the environmental damage will be forgotten," concluded Cacopardo.

Gauci highlighted that "the bills on land planning presented by the Government a while ago, and which are still pending, are a step backwards, and it would make it difficult for civil society to follow and present submissions on development proposals.   These bills will reduce the timeframe within which third parties can appeal decisions taken by the Planning Authority."

"The proposed bills will make it easier for a development proposal to be approved, which would include no need for environmental issues to be considered by the Planning Authority.  The bills also introduce more flexibility in the application of planning policies, which would inevitably end without knowing for certain what regulations and policies are applicable. 

It is crystal clear that the bills presented for the consideration of Parliament are the result of pressure to have the Planning Authority be less stringent in its duties, abdicating its planning responsibilities and end up being a permit factory.   This will inevitably weaken any protection that residential communities have, and the speculator brigade would gain further freedoms.  After all, this is what they want, less interference from those who dare to stand up to them," concluded Gauci.