If there was ever a moment in time when ODZ (Out of Development Zone) land needed constitutional protection, it is today. With planning reforms potentially allowing the PA to rezone land at will, ODZ could be at risk, sacrificed for yet more rampant development and the unchecked expansion of our towns and villages. For all the government’s talk about environmental protection and Project Green, the environment remains largely and very visibly underserved.

ODZ was a revolutionary planning tool when it was introduced. It safeguarded our countryside by drawing a clear line between what could be developed and what must remain untouched. But that line is being blurred.

ODZ land needs much stronger protection against abuse. A recent case, where a “sheep farm” permit was revoked after it became obvious it went way beyond a sheep farm, is only one example of how loopholes and misclassifications are exploited.

It is time to protect Malta’s biggest asset, our natural environment. Our countryside, beaches, cliffs, and valleys are part of our identity, and allowing further damage in the name of greed and money would be one of the greatest injustices we could inflict on our heritage and culture.

Many developers in Malta have adopted an attitude of building as much as possible, cramming in as many people as possible, and doing it as cheaply as possible. Design is treated as an inconvenience, and speed is all that matters.

This mentality is not an accident; it is baked into the system from the planning stage onward. The result has been devastating for Malta’s urban fabric, its village cores, and its quality of life. And as suitable plots of land disappear and prices rise, the temptation to build on raw ODZ land, much of which is already owned by large developers, continues to grow.

Although decisions not to develop places like Manoel Island or White Rocks are positive, everyone agrees that developing these sites would have been madness given their natural and cultural value. But we have become so accustomed to losing heritage for more construction that we now applaud the mere act of not destroying something – as though the government’s default position should be to allow development everywhere unless pressured otherwise.

ODZ literally stands for Outside Development Zone, yet permits and loopholes remain shockingly common. Many ODZ areas are used commercially with virtually no enforcement from the authorities tasked with protecting them, including ERA. It is high time we learn to respect our natural heritage, because it is what gives us a quality of life and it is the reason tourists visit Malta in the first place.

Constitutional protection for ODZ is the only guarantee that rampant destruction will finally meet its limits. If decisions are left solely to certain stakeholders, the inconvenience caused to residents, and the concerns of people who genuinely care about Malta, simply do not factor into the equation.

It is the government’s responsibility to protect the Nation’s heritage and to completely rethink its approach to planning, introducing reforms that reduce uncertainty, protect the environment, and balance power, rather than shifting even more influence into the hands of developers.