Momentum endorses ‘Ġustizzja għal Artna’ proposals, commits to total planning reform in 2026 Election Manifesto

Momentum declares its full endorsement of the proposals put forward by the Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign. The party views these measures as essential pillars for restoring integrity to Malta’s planning system and protecting what remains of the island’s natural and urban heritage.

The current planning framework has long been skewed in favour of narrow interests, leading to a “build now, sanction later” culture that undermines the rule of law. Momentum believes that the government’s recently proposed Bills 143 and 144, along with the accompanying Legal Notices, threaten to dismantle existing safeguards and normalise illegalities on a national scale.

Momentum will formally incorporate the core pillars of the Ġustizzja għal Artna reform into its upcoming 2026 election manifesto to ensure these critical changes become a legislative priority.

Key pillars from the Ġustizzja għal Artna Reform:

• Suspending Works During Appeals: We will work to mandate that all development stops while an appeal is pending before the EPRT or the Courts to prevent illegal structures from being finished before a verdict.
• Mandatory Removal of Illegalities: New binding rules will force the physical removal of illegal developments. The Planning Authority will be legally required to ensure demolition at the offender’s expense.
• One-Stop Shop for Enforcement: We will work to create a single entity for regulation to end the current fragmented system where different authorities avoid taking responsibility.
• Prohibiting ODZ Sanctioning: We will work to ban the sanctioning of illegal structures built in Outside Development Zones after 2008, ending the “build now, pay later” culture.
• Protecting Rationalised Land: Any land of agricultural, natural, or historical value taken from the ODZ in 2006 that remains undeveloped will be reclassified as ODZ and protected from construction.

These endorsed proposals form part of Momentum’s wider, comprehensive strategy for a flourishing environment and sustainable construction. To complement the Ġustizzja għal Artna reforms, Momentum’s manifesto also pledges to:

• Refounding the Planning Authority: We will reconstitute the Authority by appointing only professionals with proven track records of integrity and a commitment to high environmental standards. This new leadership will include dedicated environmental activists and independent experts whose work is firmly rooted in the protection of our natural and urban heritage.
• High-Rise Moratorium: We will implement an immediate two-year freeze on permits for buildings over ten floors to reassess planning frameworks and prevent further failures.
• Ending Public Land Giveaways: We will introduce a constitutional amendment banning the sale of public land for commercial use. Any short-term leases would require a 75% parliamentary majority and must strictly preserve the land’s natural and historical state.

Mark Camilleri Gambin, General Secretary of Momentum, stated: “For too long, the Maltese people have watched their quality of life diminish under a planning process that is tough with the small, law-abiding citizen but remarkably lax with the law-breaking large developer. It is fundamentally unjust that concerned residents must bear the financial and organisational burden of challenging flawed decisions in court while a developer is allowed to keep building and create a fait accompli. We are endorsing these proposals because they represent a common-sense return to transparency and fairness, ensuring that the law finally applies to everyone equally.

“By combining the Ġustizzja għal Artna reforms with our manifesto pledges to refound the Planning Authority, halt reckless high-rise developments, and legally draw a line on public land concessions, we are putting forward a complete vision for sustainable planning. In the coming days we shall continue publishing more policies.

A vote for Momentum is a commitment to an island where the law applies to everyone equally, and where our fields, skyline, and heritage are no longer for sale to the highest bidder.”

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