The Maltese Islands
(area 314km2) are populated by approximately 380,000 residents
(1210/km2) and are visited by about 1 million tourists annually.
On the island of Malta some 21% of the land area is built
up. Overdevelopment is Malta's most pressing environmental
problem and has been the cause of a great loss of biodiversity
and natural landscapes including much agricultural land.
The last census (1995) showed that as
many as 23% of the dwellings were unoccupied for various
reasons. Of these 35,723 vacant dwellings 13, 964 dwellings
are in a state of good repair or new and could be occupied
immediately. The sister island, Gozo, which is only one
fourth the size of Malta with only one thirteenth of the
population, has a population density of 423 people per km2
and 66% of the dwellings were unoccupied or partially used
in 1995. Agricultural land has been lost at the rate of
2km2 yearly since 1957.
Malta has a large and influential construction
lobby. Most Maltese believe that the quickest and safest
way to make money is to invest in property. These two factors,
combined with a distinct lack of planning during the 1960s
through the 1980s, and inadequate enforcement of legislation
(that has been the norm for many years) ensure that the
improper use of land remains our greatest environmental
problem.
The 1992 Planning Act included a "Structure
Plan for the Maltese Islands". This Plan contains the
guidelines for building development for the next twenty
years. Although it identifies the misuse of land as our
major environmental problem, the Structure Plan envisages
the building of 60,000 new units to accommodate the projected
increase of 22,000 families by 2010 (the Structure Plan
was mainly drawn up by a British planning consultancy firm
but Maltese architects played an important role and environmentalists'
objections were not taken seriously enough, while the plan
itself was not subject to an environment impact assessment).
When the Plan was drawn up it was envisaged that 3,000 dwellings
per year would be approved for development, so far the figure
has been in the region of 4,000 p.a. since 1992. The rate
of new household creation remains around 1,700 p.a.
In 1997 a monitoring report prepared by
the Planning Authority admitted that the 60,000 units planned
for were far in excess of need, but nothing has been done
to remedy the situation and the Nationalist governemnt has
promised to increase the area allocated for development
despite advise from the PA to restrict further permits for
building.
The Structure Plan is not site specific,
although large areas have been designated as sites for various
uses, for example tourist development at Ta' Cenc. A start
has been made on drawing up local, site specific, plans
with the M'Xlokk area approved and plans for the North West
of Malta, the North Harbours and Grand Harbours in progress.
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