The uglification of Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa’s newly-appointed president, Patrick Calleja recently explained his motivation for giving up his architectural practice to join the NGO. And his comments should make every one of us blush.
In an interview with Times of Malta he spoke about the “horrendous uglification of Malta” and blamed it squarely on the Planning Authority, which he described as a “political football”.
The PA is supposed to be the gatekeeper of the nation’s approved planning policies but something is clearly wrong if Din l-Art Ħelwa – and others like it – must fight tooth and nail to stop inappropriate development.
We have ended up with too many people who feel entitled to jump on to the out-of-control construction boom and make as much money in as short a time as possible. And this happens even when they have no hope of getting a permit. How many instances have we seen projects going ahead undeterred despite the evident harm to neighbouring residents and their environment?
Their architects are bullied into creating uninteresting designs that they know full well will generate howls of protest from the public, as well as recommendations for refusal from PA case officers.
And what is even more frustrating is when DLĦ wins court cases confirming a permit should never have been issued in the first place. We would expect that those in the Planning Authority, who approved those permits – even when it was clear that they were against policies, should resign in shame.
And what about situations where the development has gone ahead despite the pending court case? Surely someone, anyone, should order the developer to dismantle brick by brick the whole illegal development?
It has also become all too common for developers to get a permit but then apply to add more floors that would never have been approved from the outset. Or, even worse, to go ahead and build them and accept to get slapped on the wrist, a small price to pay for getting extra floors they could sell for millions.
No-one is fooled. We laugh at satirical jabs about luxurious sheep farms. We cry over catering establishments and sightseeing tours that have usurped pavements. We tie ribbons to trees that might be ripped out needlessly.
We rage about the tour boats that jostle for space in Blue Lagoon, disgorging hundreds of tourists that find nowhere to stand and be photographed for posterity with their pineapple cocktails.
Calleja has dedicated his time to this important cause. He spoke about DLĦ’s Heritage and Environment Protection sub-committee and its many victories of decisions overturned and permits revoked.
That the sub-committee objected to some 1,500 applications in 2022 and 850 in 2023 should make us stop and think. Let us put that in some perspective: the Central Bank of Malta’s annual report for 2022 said there were 9,599 permits for residential units. Some of the 1,500 objections were not related to residential units. Some of the objections were for whole developments that include several units. Whichever way you look at it, it is a huge number.
How did we end up in a situation of such impunity? The Planning Authority must take part of the blame but the government must also take responsibility for its own inaction, for the people it nominates to positions, for the messages it fails to send to developers, for the projects that cannot be justified.
Calleja ended with a heartfelt plea: the constitution explicitly says that the State will “look after our cultural and artistic patrimony and environment”.
If it fails to do so, the uglification of Malta will continue to destroy our heritage.