Grim reapers walk through the streets of Valletta in protest to government’s planning bills
By Karl Azzopardi
Copyright maltatoday
Activists on Monday gathered outside parliament in protest of the government’s planning reform bills, calling for their withdrawal from parliament.
Dressed as grim reapers, the activists sounded the alarm on what they said would spell disaster for the country. Mourners carried a coffin symbolising the death of “quality of life, environment, decency, democracy, and social justice.”
Bills 143 and 144, tabled in parliament just before summer recess last July, would make almost impossible for the public to challenge the Planning Authority’s “corrupt decisions”, the activists said.
They also said the three legal notices would grant a blanket amnesty for all planning and environmental illegalities across Malta and Gozo, with no limits on size, type, or location
“This so-called reform has one aim: to crush the common person and transfer all power to developers and politically-controlled authorities. It will open the floodgates to destructive development in ODZs, UCAs, and other areas of social, historical, and cultural importance. No corner of the country will be safe from greed,” the organisations said. “Moreover, citizens will lose the few tools they have to contest illegal decisions. Appeals will become harder, and even the Courts will lose the authority to strike down illegal permits.”
They said the consultation process launched by government after trying to sneak in the laws is “meaningless”.
“The laws are structurally rotten and cannot be fixed. While the consultation was supposedly underway, government embarked on a propaganda campaign to promote the laws. This is clear proof that the government’s intention is to bulldoze these laws through and dismantle all planning safeguards,” they said. “Selling a developers’ wishlist as a planning reform is not only deceitful and morally wrong. It is also insulting. The public sees through it.”
A national protest demanding the immediate withdrawal of these proposed laws will also be held on Saturday 4th October at 10am, starting from the Law Courts in Valletta and marching to Castille.
