The news that Mepa is set to revoke the Ramla il-Hamra development permit is most welcome. Finally, the right buttons are being pressed. The reason given is that a false declaration was made rendering the application null and void. This reversal leaves much egg on the faces of MEPA officials who, in the face of controversy, fought endlessly against the green lobby to justify their decision.
It does not take much imagination to conclude that, the decision, rather than based on a technical consideration, is motivated by political expediency. It was simply bad politics to go ahead with this development, more so when the country is already in election mode.
Whatever the real reason, the decision is praiseworthy and does justice to the sensitivities of the majority of both Maltese and Gozitans who are against the development of this area. Government had underestimated the appeal and affinity people have with Ramla, whose beauty has been praised both locally and abroad, having been classified as one of the prime beaches worldwide. The reversal leaves open a number of options. Does the developer reapply without inserting the land belonging to government and erroneously included in the development?
This decision-reversal should serve as an opportunity for government and Mepa to do some soul searching. First, if the decision was really a technical one, then the ownership controls and assurances given to justify title should be tightened. They are currently very loose: any individual is entitled to submit a building application without the need to justify title by means of the proper documents annexed to the application.
The rules governing developments in outside development areas need to be revisited and made more transparent. Ideally, all ODZ applications should be thrown out ab initio and any exceptions should only be accepted according to transparent criteria which are known to all. Many areas have been developed in outside development zones as hotel projects. Why as hotels, and not for other purposes? Why is it legitimate for ODZ development to take place, so long as it is for tourism purpose? Is it included in any legislation? This is all a very grey area where suspicions of preferential treatment quickly do the rounds of the national grapevine. The law allows Cabinet to make exceptions, yet the law in no way circumscribes what the purpose of the development needs to be. Tourism, industrial, service oriented businesses, no such guidelines exist. There is a need to limit the powers given to Cabinet. This newspaper still feels that ideally, the restrictions guiding ODZ’s be entrenched in the Constitution prohibiting development.
This reversal also calls into question the exact role of government in decisions taken by MEPA. Is MEPA really autonomous and at arm’s length from ministerial interference? Was this technicality really an oversight, or has it given government a face-saver in its embarrassment following the original decision? Whatever the cause and effect, the decision itself remains praiseworthy.
Another area that needs revisiting is the composition of the MEPA board. Ideally, the board should be composed of a number of level-headed individuals who can really appreciate the need to balance development with the environment. The key word is sustainable development, and for this to be achieved one must discard the erroneous belief that the country’s economy depends solely on the building industry, or that no building at all should take place anywhere. Belief in development at all costs has lead to widespread development with little or no concern given to the environment. Little is built holistically: roads and services are not laid before development on units commences; there is little idea of zoning, with commercial premises springing up in the midst of residential areas; fully-detached villas are converted at the stroke of a pen into blocks of flats; tower blocks spring up amidst low-storey buildings… in short, it is one big mess, which inconveniences whole neighbourhoods.
We hope that the Ramla reversal will serve as an opportunity to revisit the composition and workings of MEPA, and most especially to finally bring about that elusive concept, sustainable development.