Public Consultation for ODZ extensions - Map Server Link

MEPA ODZ Map server - Click here
Public Consultation Closing date is Friday 23rd June 2006

The Malta Environment & Planning Authority is issuing for public consultation the resultant rationalization of development zone boundaries. This exercise follows a Cabinet decision to address anomalies, whilst channeling urban development around existing development areas and minimising the take up of additional land.

By adopting the criteria defined in the Cabinet memo this document seeks to address these issues so that a better definition of development areas may be achieved. The maps show the existing Development Zone Boundaries, the submissions made during the public consultation phase of the Local Plans and the proposed sites that have been assessed as fulfilling the pre-established criteria. It is important to note that the aim of this exercise in public consultation is to identify the land for scheme inclusion. Following this, a further exercise will be undertaken to assess and define the nature of development permitted on the approved sites.
Submissions on this topic may be made in writing to:

Local Plan Development BoundariesPO Box 15Marsa GPO 01
or by email: schemes@mepa.org.mt

People centred design at Tigné Point

Little thought appears to go into construction of many apartment buildings so it is refreshing to find that some are designed with people in mind. At the much talked about Tigné Point complex, design revolves around people and the full range of lifestyle needs.

"Tigné Point has a very wide range of sizes and types of residential units. It should be possible to suit everyone tastes,” says Architect Alex Torpiano, who heads the team at AOM, the architects and designers of the complex. “Security features make it ideal as a place to bring up a family or for retirement. All public spaces are being made accessible to all pedestrians, including those with disabilities. This accessibility will extend to most of the heritage area of Fort Tigné and the Garden Battery."
Often, much design effort goes into individual apartments or apartment blocks, ignoring the surrounding area. At Tigné Point, the design process involves the entire complex. "Tigné Point recognises the need for people to have and use cars, but it aims to return urban space to the pedestrian,” Prof Torpiano says. “This is being done by locating all private car parks below the private residences and the public car park below the public pjazza. This will also liberate pedestrian areas from vehicle exhaust and noise intrusion."

The other important feature of Tigné Point, particularly Tigné South, is the response to the sun. “Tigné South apartments are uniquely stepped to allow direct sun penetration into the landscaped areas between residential blocks,” Prof Torpiano says. “At the same time, in summer, large overhangs will screen the strong overhead sun so that they are both sunny and sheltered from strong winds, as well as sheltered from strong summer sunlight.”

For more information on Tigne' Point contact kenneth@62582.com

Euro Adoption - Fears of property prices spike as new funds surface

Very interesting article on the Business Times 11th. May 2006 by Massimo Farrugia entitled as above. The first few articles are below:

"A surge of undeclared funds that would surface as Malta adopts the euro is likely to be laundered into the property market or leave the country, Vince Farrugia, director general of the GRTU - the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises has warned.

There could be a spike in property prices as banknotes hidden beneath mattresses saw the light of day in the run up to euro day, he said."

The easiest way will be for people to invest their cash in property so that they may get their return in euros. Since Malta has a record amount of cash in circulation per capita, this will create an artificial demand for property, pushing up prices and making it even more prohibitive for business start-ups and those enterprises wanting to expand their premises to buy property," he said.

He said schemes encouraging undeclared money to come upstream would limit speculation and prevent it from leaving the country......"

Read the rest of the article here.

STQARRIJA MILL-MINISTERU GĦALL-AFFARIJIET RURALI U L-AMBJENT

Jitħabbar proċess ta’ rationalisation ta’ l-iskemi ta’ l-iżvilupp

Press Release by Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Environment @ 16:00 11th. May 2006
Also view previous property blog posting by clicking here.

Il-Kabinett tal-Ministri qabel fuq proċess li jirrigwarda tibdil, jew aħjar rationalisation li hemm bżonn li jsir fil-konfini ta’ l-iżvilupp. Rationalisation huwa proċess li permezz tiegħu żoni li bħalissa mhumiex fil-konfini ta’ l-iżvilupp u li huma mdawra sew bl-iżvilupp, partikolarment meta l-art mhix tajba għall-biedja, jkunu kkunsidrati għall-iżvilupp.

Dettalji dwar dan il-proċess ngħataw mill-Ministru għall-Affarijiet Rurali u l-Ambjent George Pullicino waqt konferenza ta’ l-aħbarijiet.

Il-Ministru Pullicino ta ħarsa kronoloġika lejn il-fatti minn meta l-Gvern kien niehda t-Temporary Provisions Schemes fl-1988 fi sforz biex iwaqqaf l-emoraġija ta’ l-art li kienet qed tittieħed mingħajr ebda kontroll. Il-Gvern fehem li dan il-proċess ta’ malajr seta’ jħalli xi riperkussjonijiet jew anomaliji u għalhekk saħaq fuq il-fatt li dawn kienu ta’ natura temporanja, bil-ħsieb li jkunu riveduti u wara jsiru permanenti.

Pullicino qal li bit-twaqqif ta’ l-Awtorita’ ta’ l-Ippjanar fl-1992 u bil-ħidma li bdiet issir fuq il-Pjanijiet Lokali, beda joħroġ ċar li ma kenitx qed issir rationalisation abbażi ta’ dak li kien ilu jingħad li fil-proċess kollu kellhom ikunu kkunisdrati l-pockets li rriżultaw mill-iskemi proviżorji.

Hu tenna li ll-Gvern jirrikonoxxi li hemm żoni biżżejjed fl-iskemi ta’ l-iżvilupp li huma suffiċjenti biex jaqdu l-ħtiġijiet tal-pajjiż għas-snin li ġejjin iżda saħaq li apparti l-issue ta’ rationalisation, huwa importanti li wieħed għandu jifhem ukoll il-kuntest ta’ ġustizzja u kunsiderazzjonijiet soċjali oħrajn li l-Gvern għandu d-dmir li jikkunsidra u dan fl-aħjar interess tal-ġid komuni. Il-Ministru Pullicino qal li kunsiderazzjoni importanti oħra hi dik ta’ anomaliji li rriżultaw wara li kienu ppublikati l-iskemi temporanji ta’ l-1988, dawk li qed jissejjħu bħala pockets jew infill gaps.

Pullicino qal li din hi materja sensittiva ferm għaliex dak li hu pocket għal individwu jista’ jkun differenti għal individwu ieħor. Kien għalhekk pass għaqli li l-Kabinett joħloq riga konsistenti li tindirizza dawn il-kwistjonijiet u toħloq proċess aktar ekwu u ġust. Id-dokument maqbul mill-Kabinett għandu l-intenzjoni li jipprovdi l-kriterji jew din il-miżura ta’ qies li fuqha jittieħdu d-deċiżjonijiet dwar żoni ta’ żvilupp.

Hu tenna li l-kriterji jinkludu wkoll kunsiderazzjonijiet ambjentali biex l-impatt fuq l-ambjent ikun l-anqas possibli. Permezz ta’ dawn il-kriterji l-ebda sit b’valur ekoloġiku importanti jew sensittiv, jew l-ebda sit li jinsab fuq raba’ saqwi mhu se jidħol fil-konfini l-ġodda. Pullicino spjega li kien hemm differenza fil-kriterji li ġew stabbiliti bejn Malta u Għawdex li tirriżulta mill-mod kif dawn iż-żewġ realtajiet evolvew matul is-snin.

Hu fakkar li fil-każ t’Għawdex, li kieku kellhom ikunu aċċettati t-talbiet kollha li saru, ż-żona ta’ żvilupp tkun tlaħħaq area li hi kbira 15-il darba daqs Marsalforn.

Pullicino sostna li l-Kabinett qabel ukoll fuq xi eċċezzjonijiet oħrajn għal dawn il-kriterji bħall-kwistjoni ta’ multi-ownership fejn art li għalkemm ma kenitx fiż-żona ta’ l-iżvilupp xorta tqassmet fi plots u ġiet mibjugħa lil individwi. Hu saħaq li mhux it-talbiet kollha fejn l-art kienet tqassmet fi plots qabel l-1988 u wara tħalliet barra ż-żona ta’ żvilupp issa ġew aċċettati. Dan sar għax il-Gvern dehrlu li dawn huma siti sensittivi ambjentalment.

Pullicino tenna li skond kalkoli preliminari li saru, b’dak li ddeċieda l-Kabinett, hu kkalkulat li 10% biss mill-art li ntalbet biex tidħol għandha tiġi inkluża fiż-żona ta’ żvilupp bil-kriterji stabbiliti. Bit-tibdil maqbul mill-Kabinett, il-konfini ta’ l-iżvilupp f’Malta hu kkalkulat li se jiżdiedu bi 2.4% ta’ dak li llum diġa huwa fiż-żona ta’ żvilupp. Irid jingħad li effettivament l-art għall-bini lanqas mhi se tiżdied b’dan l-ammont. Dawn it-2.4% jinkludu wkoll toroq li jridu jsiru, art li diġa hi mibnija, art tal-Gvern kif ukoll xi art li hi maħsuba li tintuża biex fuqha jsiru spazji pubbliċi miftuħa.

Hu ħabbar li l-Kabinett qabel fuq numru ta’ deċiżjonijiet oħrajn, ewlenin fosthom huma li:

ü l-Kabinett jaqbel mal-prinċipju li kemm jista’ jkun kull żvilupp ġdid isir f’żoni fejn fihom diġa hemm żvilupp u dan biex jonqos it-teħid ta’ art addizzjonali;
ü l-Kabinett jaqbel li l-Gvern jintrabat li jikkometti ruħu għax-xogħlijiet meħtieġa u jiġu pproċessati l-permessi hekk kif jintlaħaq 80% ta’ l-ispejjeż dovuti għal dik iż-żona u li jkun hemm mekkaniżmu biex jingħelbu problemi li kien hemm fil-passat fosthom ta’ infrastruttura
ü għalhekk f’dawn is-siti s-sidien iridu jħallsu l-kontribuzzjoni kollha dovuta magħrufa bħala Infrastructure Service Charge;
ü l-Kabinett jaqbel fuq it-twaqqif ta’ Kummissjoni biex tisma’ ilmenti dwar ċertu każijiet li jistgħu jirriżultaw minn dawn il-konfini l-ġodda wara li l-Parlament japprova l-konfini l-ġodda.

Il-Ministru Pullicino qal li dan hu l-ewwel tibdil fil-konfini ta’ l-iżvilupp mill-1988 ‘il hawn. Dan it-tibdil għandu jorbot għall-10 snin li ġejjin. Hu qal li b’hekk dan se jkun l-uniku tibdil fil-konfini ta’ l-iżvilupp fi kważi 30 sena u kull argument jew diskussjoni għandhom isiru f’dan il-kuntest.

Hu qal li l-kriterji ġew ikkomunikati lill-MEPA u wara li jkunu diskussi mill-Bord, il-konfini l-ġodda proposti jkunu ppublikati l-ġimgħa d-dieħla għal konsultazzjoni pubblika ta’ sitt ġimgħat.

Il-Ministru George Pullicino temm billi appella biex din l-issue ma ssirx ballun politiku imma kulħadd jagħraf li dak li tħabbar illum huwa l-frott ta’ proċess diffiċli li jrid isib bilanċ ġust bejn kunsiderazzjonijiet soċjali u ħarsien ambjentali.

New Land for Building O.D.Z.

www.maltastar.com which is affiliated with the Malta Labour Party (in the opposition) published this article, today 10th. May 2006 under the above title. The article can be read in full here and the opening paragraphs are below.

"In a controversial move, the government has decided to extend building permits to schemes lying outside the development zones that are currently available. According to data published in its annual reports by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), the supply of land available for development under current arrangements is enough to service demand for the next twenty years or so.

Minister issues definite instructions

All MEPA policies have emphasised the need not to open up further land for building development. Government’s decision has not been welcomed by MEPA’s top guns or some of them. According to sources, Minister George Pullicino has written in strong terms, definite instructions to the MEPA board to enforce government’s decision.
A “consultation” document will be published about this decision to follow procedures laid out for such drastic changes in the rules governing building zones. However, according to a MEPA insider, the “consultation” will be a “farce”. Local plans have been thirteen years in the making and are still not yet finalised....."

Property Maintenance

On today's Times of Malta 10th. May 2006, veteran realtor Frank Salt weighs in on the lack of property maintenance procedures in maltese apartment blocks. The article under the heading "Deteriorating in front of our eyes" can be read in full here (will be archived by the newspaper in a month from today), and an excerpt from the article follows below.

"Maintaining a block of apartments is not like maintaining your own house as there are others to consult and consider, and each individual owner has to pay their fair share. At present, the normal annual maintenance fee for even a good quality block of apartments is usually quite low, never taking into consideration the eventual need to spend large amounts of money on structural maintenance.
In places like London, there are rules imposed by local councils, that blocks of apartments and houses have to be painted and maintained on the outside and the inside every so many years. This is why in the better areas the properties are always looking smart and well presented and, therefore, maintain and even increase their market value."

Maltese Houses of Character

An article written by Edwin P. Borg and giving very precise descriptions as to the general characteristics of the original maltese dwellings, their interiors and layouts, as recollected from his childhood days. It also covers a lot of the original maltese terms for certain features, with their english translation. Following are the opening paragraphs:

Maltese Houses of Character

A good number of houses that I knew during my childhood have today disappeared. This happened for various reasons such as demolition to make way for bigger projects; alterations to serve different purposes other than those for which they were built, etc. Those that survived, however, are finally beginning to be appreciated and are now being referred to as 'Maltese Houses of Character'.

Most of these houses are now also being restored or refurbished in a way that the alterations being carried out are compatible with the original plan. I therefore would like to make some references to some of the most common features which gave these houses their true identity as a house of character. So let me go back to my childhood days. And the first thing that comes to memory is the general view from outside, the house façade.........

The full article can be read by clicking here.

Requests for information from Mepa

Audit notes shortcomings

On today's Times of Malta front page, we find an article by journalist Mark Micallef with the above title.

The first four paragraphs read:

"Mepa officials admitted to an internal audit they were unaware that the Aarhus convention, giving citizens greater access to information, had been transposed to Maltese law a year ago.

The issue was raised after Qui-Si-Sana residents complained with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's audit office that the authority had refused to say officially why it had opted not to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment on the proposed car park complex.

The case officer responsible for the project and the Major Projects Unit manager said they were not aware Malta was party to the Aarhus convention, which gives citizens the right to such information.

The audit report notes that Legal Notice 116/2005 transposed the Aarhus Convention into Maltese law and has been in force since May 17 last year, as established by Legal Notice 139/2005........."

The full article can be read here for the following month, following which it will be archived by the same newspaper.

Also read the Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 28th 2003, on public access to environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC .