Transparent decision-making

A landmark decision against the partial de-scheduling of the Għar il-Kbir buffer zone has just been made. The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal overturned a 2015 Planning Authority decision to remove the scheduling of an area of land in the limits of the locality on the basis that the Siġġiewi local council had not been properly consulted.

The area, targeted by developers for the extension of a nearby quarry, formed part of a scheduled area of archaeological importance known as Ix-Xagħra il-Kbir, a Class A site lying about two miles south of Rabat near Clapham Junction. Caves there, once Malta’s largest troglodytic hamlet, were occupied over many centuries until 1836 when their inhabitants were moved to Siġġiewi as the caves were considered insanitary.

Siġġiewi council’s architect, Carmel Caccopardo, and Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar, said that tribunal’s decision would necessitate a change in the law to ensure no planning watchdog would make decisions behind closed doors.

Former Siġġiewi mayor Karol Aquilina, now a member of Parliament, rightly emphasised that the de-scheduling process should not remain secret and the Planning Authority had an obligation to consult with...