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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 MARCH 2017 6 ODZ permits double in 2016 under new planning policies CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Malta- Today's analysis has also shown that the nationwide rate of ap- proval of ODZ permits increased from roughly 22% in 2011 to 55% in 2016, ostensibly on the back of more liberal planning rules al- lowing construction in rural are- as, introduced by the new Labour government. On the other hand, those ODZ permits refused actually de- creased from 18% to 16% during the same period. While the numbers do seem to be increasing, Musumeci told MaltaToday that he was con- vinced the majority of ODZ ap- plications are "directly connected to farming activity" and consist mainly of tool rooms, reservoirs, rubble walls, greenhouses and soil reclamation. He said the coming into force of the 2014 rural policy guide- lines – which broadly regulates countryside development – was the reason for the increase seen in the last two years. But it is this same policy that has come under fire for making it easier for landowners to build in ODZ land, among them Nation- alist MP Toni Bezzina, who relin- quished a controversial planning permit under political pressure. "[The policy] had undoubtedly made it easier for such applica- tions to see the light of day," said Musumeci, who is the govern- ment's advisor on these policies. "Of course, this prompted an in- crease in the number of new ap- plications in 2015 and 2016." But marine biologist and en- vironmental campaigner Alan Deidun said the fact that a re- cord number of permits were granted lasted year is worrying, warning of the cumulative effect this would have on undeveloped areas. "We are focusing on big ODZ projects when they are an- nounced, however the footprint of all the small permits granted is probably greater than that of the big projects," said Deidun. The fact that most policies are drawn up by architects is also problematic, argued Deidun, because this means they are skewed towards their own per- spective. "The way in which poli- cies are written makes loopholes possible, and architects can get used to them and exploit them in their favour," Deidun said. He said the fact that architects like Musumeci occupy advisory roles leads to a conflict of inter- News A MaltaToday analysis of planning decisions from 2007 to 2016 shows how under Labour, more permits are being granted for countryside construction Above: timeline follows number of planning permits granted to top 10 most prolific architects between 2007-2016 Most prolific architects - all categories 2007-2016 Falzon & Cutajar Emanuel Vella Saviour Micallef Edwin Mintoff Robert Musumeci Joseph Bondin Charles Buhagiar Joseph Attard Samuel Formosa Colin Zammit Overall granted permits by architect in 2016 As the Labour government's advisor on planning law, architect Robert Musumeci has also attracted considerable business, specialising in applications outside development zones among other work

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