Viewpoints

Well, we are all saying it. NGOs are pleading for it. A public rally dema-n­ded it. The Guardian for Future Generations, the Church Commission for the Environment and environmentalists have spoken out to the same end. Din l-Art Ħelwa has taken the issue to the Parliamentary Committee for Environment and Development Planning. And now… even the President of the Malta Developers Association...

The Environment Minister has stated his intent that there should be a true environment watchdog when we have a Malta Environment and Planning Authority with a mission statement that dictates it does just that. He stresses the need to heed NGOs as they ‘are the conscience of the environment’, when we have a Minister for the Environment elected to be just...

23rd October 2013 The Government is driving the country towards another building bonanza with fast-fisted fury.  Several proposals are set to impact piecemeal on all areas of Malta and Gozo and without an overall strategy in place.  New policies to permit all sorts of building in the countryside are imminent as well as a revision in local plans.   An increase in...

11th October 2013 The Malta Environment and Planning Authority is in the process of redefining the basic policies that identify what sort of development will be permissible in outside development zone areas. One of the objectives being proposed by Mepa to guide the formulation of the new ODZ policies is to “ensure a balance between the protection of the environment and development...

24th August 2013 Every year, Din l-Art Ħelwa submits heritage and nature protection recommendations for consideration in the Budget to the Ministry of Finance. It is satisfying that some ideas were implemented by the previous Administration such as incentives to regenerate urban conservation areas promoting reuse and restoration of scheduled buildings. Schemes similar to Investi f’Darek (invest in your home) could be...