Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1113313
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 MAY 2019 JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has restricted public access to documents related to applica- tions which had been publicly available only until a few days ago. Searching for documents related to the controversial American University of Mal- ta campus at Zonqor, or the 40-storey high-rise proposed in Sliema, will greet users with a surprise: they have all disap- peared from the PA's public information system, with a notice that the applications in question are "incomplete". Newspapers like MaltaTo- day fulfil a public information service by tracking new ap- plications as soon as these are published on the PA's website. But now a number of old- er applications, including a number of controversial ones which this newspaper regu- larly tracks to check whether new plans have been present- ed, have also gone missing from the public information system. These include the applica- tion for the proposed Zonqor university campus which dates back to 2017, for which the latest plans were submitted in December 2018, and docu- ments related to the 40-storey tower hotel proposed at Fort Cambridge which has already been submitted to an Envi- ronment Impact Assessment. More recent applications which have gone missing from the new system include that related to the construction of a new wing for the Excelsior Hotel in Floriana presented last year; the proposed 22-sto- rey high-rise next to Mercury House; a proposed 12-storey development in Xghajra; the 13-storey high-rise proposed by developer Joseph Portelli in Qormi; and the proposed road passing through the Mgarr harbour woodland in Gozo submitted last month. A number of Planning Con- trol applications have also gone missing. These include a zoning ap- plication presented by busi- ness group Fino for residential and commercial development on the site of Pembroke's Australia Hall, which was pre- sented last year, and the more recent application related to the Westin Hotel's expansion near the St Julian's coastline. Curiously, while information related to these major projects is no longer available, docu- ments related to a number of minor applications which are still at "vetting and plotting stage" can still be viewed. The PA has cited 'legal rea- sons' to justify these changes through which documents re- lated to these documents will only be made available to the public when an "application form is fully filled, all docu- mentation required has been fully submitted and payment for the same has been fully ef- fected". The PA spokesperson ex- plained that it is only at this point, that the Authority "is legally bound" to make public the application by publishing them on the Department of Information website, the Gov- ernment Gazette and by affix- ing a site notice on site. "This is the stage when an applica- tion should be made available to the general public, includ- ing on eApps for public view- ing." This will effectively mean that the public will only be alerted to applications at a later stage than at present. In fact, a number of the re- moved applications had al- ready been assessed by official bodies like the Superintend- ence for Cultural Heritage. When asked about docu- mentation related to specific applications presented as far back as 2016 which are no longer accessible to the public, the PA spokesperson replied that although these had been given a number, they were not given final validation. Some applications like that envisag- ing a 40-storey tower hotel on Sliema's Fort Cambridge were still categorised as being at "screening stage", despite be- ing endowed with a PA num- ber and having been already submitted to an environment impact assessment. However, this means that any further plans submitted until final validation will not be available to the public. And while new projects will be spared from public con- troversy at the initial stage of the application process, the public will be unable to track progress on older applications awaiting final validation. NEWS Planning Authority hindering access to planning documents Public none the wiser after PA decides to restrict documents on applications it claims are 'incomplete' Why is this bad news? • The public will only be alerted to applications at a later stage rather than at present; • Any further plans submitted until final validation will not be available to the public; • New projects will be spared from public controversy at the initial stage of the application process, with the public unable to track progress on older applications awaiting final validation; • A number of older, controversial applications regularly tracked by this newspaper for new plans, have gone missing from the public information system