Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1462122
18 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 MARCH 2022 NEWS ELECTION 2022 Department Reference Number: EOI 1/2022 P R O V I S I O N O F A R C H I T E C T U R A L S E R V I C E S EXPRESSION OF INTEREST All applications should be submitted by noon on Monday 11th April 2022 by email to procurement.bca@bca.org.mt For more information visit bca.org.mt/procurement B U I L D I N G & CO N ST R U C T I O N AUTHORITY JAMES DEBONO WHILE both major parties are giving unprecedented atten- tion to environmental issues they shy away from any com- mitment to replace local plans approved by the Gonzi admin- istration in 2006 and repeal policies approved by Labour af- ter 2013 which contributed to an onslaught of 5-storey blocks in most urban areas including Gozo. Only ADPD is fully commit- ted to change local plans and to reverse the extension of build- ing boundaries of 2006. In this context urban green projects and promises to give more im- portance to the aesthetics of new buildings risk being per- ceived as an exercise in putting lipstick on a pig's face. But by proposing transition- al buffer zones around village cores, Labour may actually limit development in the most sensitive areas. This contra- dicts declarations by the Prime Minister that changing lo- cal plans to reduce building heights could trigger compen- sation claims by owners as cre- ating transitional areas around UCAs will have the same im- pact. On the other hand the PN is committed to increase ODZ land by 50,000 sq.m a year but this exercise is limited to pub- lically owned land and will not impact private lands which are considerably at greater risk of being developed. The PN is also applying its carrot and stick mantra to planning issues by promising to discourage development on open spaces by cutting plan- ning costs for retrofitting pro- jects on already developed land by 80% while promising more stringent criteria for projects on undeveloped land. Significantly Labour's mani- festo includes a blanket com- mitment for land reclamation projects, which is deemed to be a "necessary" in a small island with limited land. But while the manifesto refers to projects, which benefit the country like renewable energy projects, it falls short of exclud- ing real estate on reclaimed land, which can be very lucra- tive in coastal areas. A study by foreign experts conducted un- der the Gonzi administration had concluded that land recla- mation is only feasible if it in- cludes a real estate component. In the wake of Miriam Pace's death in a brutal construction incident in 2020, the PN's firm- est commitments are geared towards protecting residents by obliging contractors to provide alternative accommodation to residents impacted by excava- tions and to deposit money in a bank account which can be immediately released to make up for damage to neighbouring properties. Labour's flagship environ- mental proposal remains a €700 million investment-inci- dentally the same amount al- located for road building in the previous legislature-to the cre- ation of new open spaces. Moreover the proposal is beefed up by concrete and well thought plans for projects in different localities. Strangely the PN is proposing that 10% of new urban greening projects should be allocated to commercial establishments. Labour is also proposing a scheme through which pri- vate gardens are either pur- chased by the state or swapped for other lands so that these are enjoyed by the public. But swapping private land for pub- lic land could be problematic as reclaiming a garden could end up serving as a pretext for land grabs in other areas. Lipstick on a pig's face? How parties stand on land use and planning issues Labour's flagship environmental proposal remains a €700 million investment-incidentally the same amount allocated for road building in the previous legislature-to the creation of new open spaces.