Restraining our Frankensteins

Politicians, political parties, case officers and unelected officials must cut the umbilical cords with the fat cats.

Frankenstein is a novel by Mary Shelley. Although the scientist sought to make history by giving life to a whole body with parts grafted together, Victor ended up with a monster.

In today’s parlance, the term ‘Frankenstein’ connotes a monstrous creation.

Our Planning Authority (PA) was established with the best of intentions to safeguard the environment, regulate land usage and promote aesthetics and good planning. But is the PA the root of our environmental degeneration?

Is it enabling the systematic rape of our architectural heritage, countryside and townscapes, replacing them with soulless apartments? Is the PA a rubber stamp for such monstrosities? Is the PA now ‘father’ to another Frankenstein: ERA, the Environment and Resource Authority?

According to the PA’s mission statement, its vision is “making Malta and Gozo a more pleasant and desirable place to live in. We endeavour to provide a better quality of life for the community through transparent and fair planning.”

Surreal if not tragic!

On the other hand, the ERA’s mission statement aims “to safeguard the environment for a sustainable quality of life” and “to promote and instil sound environmental management”.

Seriously?

From 2017 until 2021, the PA approved a staggering 49,791 permits. This means 9,959 permits per annum, 27 permits a day. May I remind readers that Malta is 27 km long and 14.5 km wide: 316 m2 in total.

One may argue that this is a question of supply and demand or a pretext for high-rise structures.

Others argue that this free-for-all approach brought food to the table for many.

However, at what expense?

I have no qualms acknowledging the value of sustainable development.

My reservation applies solely when such a construction frenzy blatantly ignores social assessments and systemically turns down concerns of thousands of residents, NGOs and local councils.

So why bother objecting?

A number of developers have decided on a piecemeal approach, ignoring all planning parameters, architectural homogeneity and restrictions that would, otherwise, ensure the protection of our cultural, historic and architectural heritage.

Lately, the PA has also allowed developers to carry out illegal works and have them sanctioned at a later stage, promoting the ‘construct first, sanction later’ culture. The authority is also leaving loopholes, only to be unashamedly abused, such as a two-storey sheep farm becoming a commercial outlet.

It is not the first time that both the PA and ERA have ignored their own policies and interpreted long established guidelines in a distorted manner, to the advantage of certain big businesses and developers.

No wonder that 54 per cent of the Maltese, according to the latest Eurobarometer, hold that corruption is high among officials issuing building permits.

Only the politically blinkered and those with vested interests, in particular a number of architects and lawyers, turned pseudo developers, will disagree.

While some are relishing the jet set lifestyle, Malta and Gozo have become one big construction site, forcing not only our youth to pack up and leave but exposing residents to hell, some even losing their lives or the lives of their dear ones.

Although the PA and ERA are to blame for such uglification, a number of politicians and unelected officials must also accept their responsibility. There is no doubt that the Labour government has an environmental credibility issue.

What can be done about the situation?

First, we need to acknowledge that we have an environmental crisis. The first step to any recovery is to acknowledge the state of affairs.

Secondly, we must go beyond the ‘as long as not in my backyard’ mentality. At this rate, it will soon be the turn of your backyard. We must get out of our bubble.

Thirdly, we need politicians, political parties, case officers and unelected officials to cut the umbilical cords with the fat cats.

We must then be courageous and assertive enough to revamp all building policies, launch a number of local master plans based on capacity building and holistic studies and safeguard our UCA and ODZ with no ‘buts’ or ‘ifs’.

We also urgently need to set up a robust aesthetic/ quality planning board, moving away from a construction dependency model to a more restorative/eco modus operandi.

We must also involve the local councils and other NGOs in the decision-making process. We must reassess the PA/ERA structures and appoint apolitical, professional and environmentally friendly personnel able to fend off any fat cat’s flirting by introducing personal liability.

We can do this only if there is a will, a political will.

Only then, will there be a way to restrain our Frankensteins.

(This article was published on Times of Malta – 21 October, 2022)