Rationalisation areas: MDA says it will insist that approved policies should be honoured

● Developers say State should pay damages if zonings changed

The Malta Developers Association yesterday referred to recent protests against the approval of building schemes in sites known as ‘rationalisation areas’ which were included in developable areas in a decision approved by Parliament in 2006, and insisted that approved policies should be honoured.

The Association said in a statement: “While the MDA recognises that the addition of some of these sites to developable areas was a controversial decision, the fact is that a decision taken by Parliament cannot in any manner be rendered null by the Planning Authority’s technical committee. On the contrary, the Planning Authority is obliged to seek solutions after leaving people in limbo for so many years.”

Since these areas were approved, the MDA said that a substantial number of purchases of sites were made all in good faith since the areas had been approved as developable by the highest institution of the country.

“The MDA therefore cannot accept the attitude of the few that are ignoring these facts and expect the state to meddle with citizens’ rights by first declaring land as developable and, many years later, abruptly change the status of the same land. This after a lot of money and time was invested in the proposals submitted to the Planning Authority by means of a Planning Control application.”

Moreover, the MDA added: “If there are any particular sites that the State today recognises as ones that should not have been included in the rationalisation areas, the State is obliged to pay damages to the owners, who bought the land on the basis of a decision taken by the same State that is now being asked to have second thoughts.”