Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543384
IL-KOLLETTIV Secretary Wayne Flask does not mince his words when describing government's controver- sial planning bills—they are "rotten" to the core, he says. It is this sentiment that guides Flask and his colleagues representing res- idents and NGOs in talks with the government over the reforms. Flask says the bills should be scrapped ex- cept for the proposal of preventing works from starting until all stages of the appeals process are concluded. Flask sits down for this interview, days after he blasting the fact that the consultation process surrounding Bills 143 and 144 has ground to a halt despite assurances from the prime minister that revised drafts would be issued. The activist notes that the planning bills made many within the Labour Party uncomfortable. The bills do not encourage a reform that push- es the sector forward, he insists, but rather backward. Asked whether shelving the bills until after the next general election would give government a chance to go back to the drawing board, Flask says that such a chance exists right now. On a more general note, Flask speaks of the frustration caused by construction and notes that the current economic model which is heavily reliant on the building sector is now impinging on public and per- sonal space. This is why, according to Flask, the public should stay informed about Bills 143 and 144. Wayne Flask: 'Planning bills are rotten to the core' Wayne Flask is secretary of Il-Kollettiv, a residents' activist group, and a member of the consultation board set up to find middle ground on government's controversial planning reforms. He tells Matthew Farrugia that government is intentionally dragging its feet on the issue to quietly move the bills away from public eyes on the eve of the next general election 4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 FEBRUARY 2026 INTERVIEW