Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar expresses its concern about Government’s issuing of a legal notice allowing MEPA to reduce fines imposed for planning abuse.
This is a planning regress that seeks to reverse the 2011 introduction of stricter daily fines, as prior to 2011 the maximum fine amounted to Lm50,000. Government is now inviting abusers to make submissions to “specify the impelling reason or reasons why the penalty established in the [2011] notice should not be paid, as well as the manner in which the fine is to be varied.” Since when do we allow wrong-doers to decide their own punishment?
A MEPA committee is to be set up to deal with these requests, however no policies or parameters have been published in order to guide this committee in an accountable and equitable manner.
Moreover, this legal notice was issued by Government directly, rather than being initiated by MEPA and presented for public consultation which was completely bypassed. This is a very ominous development which has already been used when Government invited developers to submit projects for land reclamation, side-stepping the need to issue a policy subject to consultation and EU scrutiny.
Along with the ‘planning amnesty’ announced in February 2015 to sanction up to 10,000 long-standing illegal developments, this latest reduction of fines is yet another policy reinforcing the message to the public that in Malta crime pays.
In October 2014 MEPA announced a new policy, removing the obligation for developers to obtain consent of at least 75% of neighbours in cases of changes in zoning or street alignment. Was this done in order to facilitate the processing of planning control applications or in order to aid developers?
Last week, MEPA announced a downgrading of Traffic Impact Assessment requirements. A Simplified Traffic Statement – is being introduced, so that most large projects which would require a full Traffic Impact Assessment, now only need a Simplified Traffic Statement, in order to “reduce the burden on developers”.
All these policies and Legal Notices have been drafted with the sole aim of facilitating more development, with no consideration for the long-term benefit of residents or for Malta’s environment.
As if to prove this point, this Thursday the MEPA Board is to debate applications for boathouses at Dwejra, Gozo, which had been refused in 2011. These cases were going through the Appeals Tribunal – how they are to appear before the MEPA Board is anybody’s guess.
The boathouse saga all over our islands is synonymous with environmental mismanagement, poor governance, political manipulation, cronyism and lack of political courage. The fact that these refused applications are being reconsidered now, speaks volumes. The 49% of Maltese who are disillusioned by Government’s environment track record is set to grow.
20.04.2015
Istituzzjonalizzazzjoni tal-Abbuż
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar tesprimi t-tħassib tagħha dwar il-publikazzjoni mill-Gvern tal-Avviż Legali 124 tas-sena 2015, li jippermetti li l-MEPA tnaqqas l-multi imposti għal żvilupp abbużżiv li mhumiex skond il-liġi.
Dan huwa pass b’lura wara l-introduzzjoni fis-sena 2011 ta’ multi ta’ kuljum, fejn qabel is-sena 2011, il-multa massima kienet tammonta għal Lm50,000 biss. Il-Gvern issa qed jistieden lil min abbuża biex dawn jiktbu sottomissjonijiet sabiex jindikaw “ir-raġuni jew raġunijiet forzanti għala l-multa stabbilita fl-avviz [tas-sena 2011] mgħandhiex titħallas, kif ukoll kif għandha tinbidel il-multa.” Min meta sirna nippermettu lil min jikser il-liġi, li jiddeċiedi l-kastig tiegħu hu stess?
Il-MEPA għandha twaqqaf kumitat sabiex jittratta dawn is-sottomissjonijiet, madankollu l-ebda viżjoni politika jew parametri ġew ippubblikati sabiex jiggwidaw dan il-kumitat b’mod ekwu u responsabbli. Iżjed minn hekk, dan l-Avviż Legali inħareġ mill-Gvern direttament, u mhux mill-MEPA, u għaldaqstant qatt ma tressaq għall-konsultazzjoni pubblika, fejn din ġiet skartata kompletament. Din hija tattika inkwetanti ferm, u li diġà kienet ġiet użata meta il-Gvern kien stieden lill-iżviluppaturi sabiex jissottomettu proġetti għal reklamazzjoni tal-art, filwaqt li tefgħa fil-ġenb il-ħtieġa li jieġu ppublikati linji gwida li jkunu suġġetti għal konsultazzjoni u għall-iskrutinju tal-Unjoni Ewropeja.
Wara l-amnestija għal min kien bena illegalment mħabbra fi Frar tas-sena 2015, intiża sabiex tissanzjona sa 10,000 żviluppi illegali li kienu ġew mwetqa żmien twil ilu, dan l-aħħar tnaqqis ta’ multi ħa jssaħħaħ il-messaġġ politku li f’Malta il-kriminalità tirbaħ.
F’Ottubru tas-sena li għadha kemm għaddiet, il-MEPA kienet ħabbret politika ġdida li neħħiet l-obbligu għall-iżviluppaturi li jiksbu il-kunsens ta’ mill-inqas 75% tal-ġirien f’każijiet ta’ tibdil fit-tqassim ta’ żoni jew fl-allinjament tat-toroq. Dan sar sabiex jiffaċilita l-ipproċessar tal-applikazzjonijiet għall-iżvilupp, jew inkella sabiex jaġevolaw lill-iżviluppaturi?
Il-ġimgħa li għaddiet, il-MEPA ħabbret tnaqqis fir-rekwiżiti meħtieġa fir-rigward tad-Dikkjarazzjonijiet dwar l-Impatt tat-Traffiku (Ċirkulari tal-MEPA 01/15). Ġiet introdotta Stqarrija issimplifikata dwar l-Impatt tat-Traffiku, hekk li bosta proġetti kbar li kienu jeħtieġu Dikkjarazzjoni sħiħa tal-Impatt tat-Traffiku, issa jeħtieġu biss Stqarrija issimplifikata, sabiex “titnaqqas il-piż fuq l-iżviluppaturi”.
Dawn il-manuvri politiċi kollha u l-Avviżi Legali ġew abbozzati bl-għan waħdieni li jieġi ffaċilitat aktar żvilupp, bla ebda konsiderazzjoni fit-tul għall-ambjent Malti jew għall-benessere tar-residenti.
Bħallikieku biex jipprova dan il-punt, għada il-Ħamis, il Bord tal-MEPA ħa jiddebatti applikazzjonijiet għal bini ta’ ‘boathouses’ fid-Dwejra, Għawdex, li kienu ġa ġew miċħuda fis-sena 2011. Dawn il-każijiet kienu għaddejjin mit-Tribunal tal-Appell — kif issa ħa jerġgħu jiegu kkonsidrati minn Bord tal-MEPA hija ħaġa li ma tinftehimx.
L-istorja twila u mirquma tal-‘boathouses’ fil-gżejjer tagħna hija storja ta’ maniġment ambjentali ħażin, manipulazzjoni politika, bażużlar, u nuqqas ta’ kuraġġ fit-tmexxija ta’ dan il-pajjiż. Li dawn l-applikazzjonijiet irrifjutati ħa jerġgħu jieġu kkunsidrati mill-ġdid issa, hija sinifikanti ferm. Id-49% tal-Maltin li huma diżillużi bir-rekord tal-Gvern fil-qasam ambjentali żgur li se jkompli jikber.
2015/04/20
