163 University Of Malta Academics Join Calls To Scrap Controversial Planning Bills
A whopping 163 academics from the University of Malta have joined activists in sounding the alarm over two controversial planning bills that they say could hand unprecedented power to the Planning Authority and make it much harder for citizens to challenge development decisions.
As reported by Times Of Malta, in a statement on Tuesday, professors, lecturers, researchers, and PhD students condemned Bills 143 and 144, warning that the proposed changes “will overhaul Malta’s planning system, grant excess power to the Planning Authority and suppress people’s access to justice in this area.” They threw their weight behind the campaign Ġustizzja għal Artna (“Justice for our Land”), which has been rallying public opposition and called for the bills to be immediately withdrawn.
Academics said Bill 143, which overhauls the planning process, would give a small group within the Planning Authority almost unchecked power. They argue this group could change zoning, override higher-level planning rules, ignore environmental safeguards, and reinstate expired permits at will. Critics also flagged the introduction of “vested rights” in planning, which they say could cause irreversible damage and block future environmental protections. Planning Minister Clint Camilleri has since pledged to remove the most contentious clause.
Bill 144, focused on appeals, drew equally sharp criticism. Academics say it severely limits citizens’ access to justice, strips courts of some powers, and allows the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) to make changes to applications and impose hefty, unappealable fines on appeals deemed ‘frivolous or vexatious’.
Meanwhile, legal notices suggest the government is considering an amnesty for illegal developments in the countryside, which campaigners say is a tacit concession that illegal construction is acceptable.
The academics didn’t hold back on process either. They slammed the government for tabling the bills with little consultation, arguing that the perfunctory public feedback sessions in August and September came only after public pressure. No studies or evidence demonstrating the need for these reforms were presented, they said. Their call is clear: withdraw the bills, halt developments under appeal, and start genuine consultations from scratch.
When first revealed, the bills were described by activists as a “developer’s wish list” and a near-total dismantling of Malta’s remaining planning safeguards. With opposition mounting from both citizens and the academic community, the government now faces growing pressure to rethink these sweeping changes.
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