Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1534344
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 APRIL 2025 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Built-up areas grew by 655 football pitches between 1998 and 2012, study shows A study of land use changes in the Maltese Islands found that artifi- cial surfaces expanded by an area equivalent to 655 football pitches between 1998 and 2012. Conducted by Daniel Sultana from the Environment and Re- sources Authority (ERA) and pub- lished in the science journal Xjen- za, the study shows that almost half of the new artificial surfaces were built outside designated de- velopment zones, raising concerns about the effectiveness of plan- ning policies in controlling urban sprawl. While Malta's Structure Plan, which regulated development during this period, sought to di- rect development into existing urban areas and prevent further encroachment into undeveloped land, the research indicated that its implementation was only par- tially effective. This policy was later replaced by the Strategic Plan for the Environ- ment and Development (SPED). However, the study did not cover changes in the last decade, during which the Planning Authority ap- proved nearly 25,000 new dwell- ings on greenfield sites. Urban sprawl in the noughties In 1998, artificial surfaces occu- pied 48.13sq.km, with 84% located within development zones, 14% in the ODZ, and 2% within protected areas. By 2012, an additional 4.68sq.km had been developed, with only 49% of this expansion occurring within designated development zones. Moreover, 48% of the devel- opment occurred outside these zones, while 3% was built within environmentally protected areas. The findings suggest that while the Structure Plan's policies helped confine urban growth with- in designated zones, they were less effective in preventing expansion beyond these areas. On the other hand, environmen- tal policies were more successful in curbing industrial and residen- tial development within protected sites, limiting new artificial surfac- es in such areas to just 3% of the total growth. The research also shows that urban expansion has come at the cost of agricultural and semi-nat- ural land. Between 1998 and 2012, 1.84sq. km of used agricultural land and 1.4sq.km of abandoned agricultur- al land were lost to development, together accounting for 62% of the newly developed artificial surfaces. An additional 0.43sq.km of semi-natural areas were convert- ed to artificial surfaces, further reducing the availability of green spaces. Urban expansion greater in the south The study also suggests that most of this urban sprawl took place in the south of Malta, particularly in the area covered by the Malta South Local Plan (MSLP), which includes 20 localities, such as Zab- bar, Marsaskala, Zejtun, Siggiewi, and Luqa. This region accounted for the largest share of new artificial sur- faces by 2012, with total new de- velopment reaching 1.23sq.km. Of this, 0.55sq.km was within devel- opment zones, while 0.68sq.km was outside designated areas. The MSLP region, covering 20% of Malta's land area, accommodat- ed 25% of all new artificial surfaces between 1998 and 2012. Almost half of the new artificial surfaces were built outside designated development zones