Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1175000
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 OCTOBER 2019 NEWS ON Sunday Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has urged con- struction companies to show more respect to the public as he said people are frustrated of the greed displayed by some in the industry. "I recently spoke at a confer- ence [by the Malta Developers Association] and told them that people are frustrated at the greed," Muscat told a po- litical activity on Sunday. "It cannot be that people only think about themselves and we need a vision based on mutual respect. I don't believe that people are envious and spiteful (għajjurin), I believe we all just want a fair deal." Once again Muscat has shown an uncanny ability to tap in to people's concerns while at the same time mini- mising political responsibility, suggesting that the problem can be solved by self-restraint on the part of contractors. In this way it is the property mar- ket, which is expected to curb its own excesses. The problem is that while the market may slow down due to economic realities, in the ab- sence of significant changes the problem will return to haunt us in a few years. For upon being elected in 2013 Labour not only inher- ited previous policies like the extension of ODZ boundaries and heights policies included in the local plans approved in 2006 but also embarked on its own tinkering with policies. These included the conver- sion of heights in floors to met- ric heights which practically resulted in the possibility of an extra floor in most localities, extra heights for hotels and homes for the elderly, more liberal rural policies encour- aging luxury homes instead of ruins and design guidelines encouraging a more flexible approach to building heights. So while Muscat insists that the property boom was the re- sult of economic growth not vice-versa, his government still used policies to oil the ma- chine and revitalise the prop- erty sector after the post 2009 slow down. The first binge between 2005 and 2007 resulted in 30,833 new dwellings being approved. Between 2016 and 2018 the Planning Authority has ap- proved 29,339 new dwellings. Perhaps we may be at the end of another cycle and a slow down is on the horizon. But if pro development policies are not reversed the next cycle will be as devastating as the pre- sent one, especially if the take off is eased by further policies changes. Moreover in the case of the DB development in St Julians, a high rise project that incar- nates greed, the government itself became an accomplice by transferring its own land to private interests fully know- ing what the developers had in mind of doing. Muscat's present reasoning ignores the fundamental fact that businesses are bound to capitalise on the opportunities presented to them by policy changes. Neither can he ignore that these policies were often drafted by advisors and deci- sion makers whose primary concern was and remains that of facilitating development. It is these people who led this government astray by coming up with absurdities like the petrol station policy, which the government has come to regret. So if Muscat is serious about changing tack, these are six things he should consider doing. 1. Give ERA real powers The Nationalist Party's pro- posal to grant the Environment and Resources Authority veto powers may be a good starting point even if it is half-baked. One should consider that most planning permits in Mal- ta are not issued by the Plan- ning Board in which ERA is represented but by two plan- ning commissions-one for ODZs and another for pro- jects within the development zone composed of three per- sons each where ERA is not represented. Moreover while the Planning Directorate has the power to issue a recom- mendation, which requires the board to postpone its decision to another sitting in case of overturning, ERA has no such powers. One basic solution is grant- ing ERA the same power as the planning directorate. Yet ulti- mately things will only change if policies are changed for the better and the right people are appointed on planning boards and commissions. Presently most decisions with regards to ODZ permits are taken by a board chaired by Elizabeth Ellul, an architect who devised the controversial rural policy approved in 2014. 2. Give local communities a real say Speaking with regards to the AUM development in Bormla ERA chairman Victor Axiak hit the nail in the head by say- ing that imposing the project on the local community was "like grafting a tissue onto an already existing body; the grafting will only be success- ful if the community is ready to accept it. If the community is not welcoming it and is not happy, there will be a tissue re- jection." Curiously he did not use the same reasoning with regards to the DB development in Pembroke for which he vot- ed in favor. The question is how to give local communities a real say. Granting local councils one vote on the Planning Board was a step forward but is clear- ly not enough to redress the imbalance against local com- munities. Councils may be given more power in imposing conditions on major projects whenever these are approved. A more radical but controversial so- lution would be to make ap- proval of major projects c o n d i t i o n a l o n a p p r o v a l by local coun- cils, possibly through local referenda. 3. Stop ap- proving apart- ments in tourism projects Former Prime Min- ister and MEP Alfred Sant has recently lashed against mixed develop- ments insisting that if Malta really wants its tourism industry to be of good quality, then "we need to make sure that building permits for ho- tels are solely for hotels and do not also include apartments." He is right because such de- velopments are resulting in polished gateway communities with their backs turned on the local communities who have to bear the infrastructural pres- Over-development 6 things Muscat should In a rare criticism of the construction sector, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has singled out greed as the major cause of the country's construction woes, thus suggesting that all would be well if contractors exercise some self -restraint. But why are speculators pigging out in the first place and which policies need to change to keep them from binging? Asks James Debono