Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532882
11 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 MARCH 2025 The Planning Authority (PA) is proposing changes to the Development Notification Order to facilitate greening projects by Government agencies, Local Councils, and appointed entities. These amendments aim to support and expedite the creation or enhancement of public recreational spaces. The proposed changes will allow greening projects within development zones on land designated for public recreational use, including schemed roads and public open spaces. Additionally, projects will be permitted on land designated for other uses in Local the Plans, as well as in areas outside development zones where public recreational use is specified. This new procedure will eliminate the regulatory framework subject to conditions. Instead, they will follow a simplified notification procedure. Project directly managed by Project Green are exempt from this procedure. To participate in this consultation process to provide feedback on these The proposed amendment can be accessed on the Planning Authority's website at www.pa.org.mt/consultation Any such submissions are to be sent to email address: dno.amendments@pa.org.mt Representations must be sent to the Authority by 5th March 2025. HAVE YOUR SAY OPEN PUBLIC CONSULTATION Development Notification (Amendment) Order, 2025 www.pa.org.mt PLANNING AUTHORITY the genie back in the bottle sought to address concerns about the oversaturation of the cab sector. In July 2024, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the market required no new foreign workers and promised that TCNs applying to work as cab drivers would have their work permits refused. Despite his promise, over 300 foreign drivers were in- troduced into the sector in the months following his state- ment. Industry insiders ex- plained that while the govern- ment's decision to reject new foreign workers' applications was intended for cab drivers, it did not account for the 100,000 foreigners already residing in Malta. 'Retaliatory price hike' Interestingly, just days after Robert Abela's promise, Mal- ta's largest ride-hailing app, Bolt, raised its prices due to a "low supply of cabs." This prompted a strong response from the LPOA, who accused Bolt of retaliating against the government's attempts to reg- ulate the abused market. The LPOA's president, Aron Gatt, welcomed the decision to regulate a sector he described as "built on modern-day exploita- tion, characterised by artificially low prices and abusive business practices." Gatt, a cab driver for nearly a decade, pointed out that the shift from self-em- ployed operators earning a de- cent income to a market dom- inated by large fleets exploiting foreign workers had kept prices low through exploitation. After the price hike in the summer, fares stabilised, and cab prices began to decrease. The clampdown At the beginning of 2025, Transport Malta began crack- ing down on cab operators who ignored regulations requiring them to park their vehicles in PSGs. Despite the one-year grace period, a number of op- erators still lacked the neces- sary garage space. As a result, Transport Malta extended the deadline to the end of 2024, and operators were required to submit a planning application showing that they had applied for a PSG. Those who were still in the process were informed they must have an approved permit by 18 April 2025. On 7 January 2025, Transport Malta suspended the licences of 69 operators for failing to submit the required planning applications. Despite the en- forcement measures, backed by a PR campaign showing footage of authorities towing cabs, many operators appealed the revocation of their licences in court. As a result, over 90% of op- erators who were subject to enforcement now have their fleets back on the streets. A number of operators and industry insiders, speaking to MaltaToday, blamed years of inaction by Transport Malta for the state of the cab sec- tor, with government sources agreeing that the industry had been "a jungle" for years. For now, the future of Malta's cab-hailing sector remains in limbo, with its fate likely to be determined by the courts. Left to right: Chris Bonett, Ian Borg and Aaron Farrugia