One way or another, everyone has a hand in shaping the world they will leave to their children. And Malta’s residents are no exception.
If individuals, businesses and the country’s authorities are to succeed in achieving sustainable development, both the goal and journey to getting there must be agreed upon. A strategy is needed.
When it was released in 2015, Malta’s Strategic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED) sought to create just such a strategy. Drafted by the Planning Authority (PA) and approved by Parliament, the SPED is the holistic blueprint for Malta’s path to sustainable development. Now, the plan is undergoing its first revision.
“Our mission was always to integrate the economic, social and environmental facets of Malta’s development within a policy and planning framework that ensures sustainability,” explains Christopher Borg, the PA’s Director of Planning.
“The SPED remains Malta’s overarching vision for development and guides other subsidiary plans and polices and serves as a reference point for other Government policies with a spatial dimension. But times change and new challenges emerge, which is why periodic revisions are a legal requirement integral to the SPED as a living document.”
In fact, the SPED’s first review milestone was set to start in 2020, focusing on the character and quality of Malta’s environment, conservation and development. The review is ongoing in the form of studies that analyse Malta’s spatial strategy based on key performance indicators and data sourced from entities including the National Statistics Office and the Central Bank, amongst others. The studies also entail an evaluation of the spatial implications of Government’s current economic, social and environmental policies.
“We are identifying past and present development trends to project Malta’s future spatial needs, as well as to determine how our sustainability framework can ensure that development today does not hinder the lives of future generations. By updating our Spatial Strategy, we can plan for the required economic growth while safeguarding our environmental and social wellbeing,” says Perit Borg.
To this end, the National Spatial Strategy will rely on a number of studies, amongst which :
- A Demography Study to analyse trends in population, migration and households and provide alternative projections for the future.
- An Employment Study to examine employment trends and determine employment forecasts, including types of jobs, retirement age and female participation in the workforce. The study will also project land use requirements to accommodate future jobs.
- A Housing Study to establish the needs and demands for housing within the context of available land supply.
- An Audit of current SPED policies based on indicators focusing (but not exclusively) on floorspaces approved for uses across Malta’s urban, rural and coastal zones. The audit will determine whether approved developments align with the SPED’s Spatial Plan, and it will also assist in the identification of issues leading to any necessary revisions of the plan.
- A Review of Government’s Sectoral Policies to ensure that the various national sectors and policies are integrated and translated into the new Spatial Strategy,
- A Development Capacity Study to identify potential space across the Maltese Islands where future development can take place. The aim is to form a clear understanding of current land use and available capacity. This information will then be analysed in relation to needs for employment and housing projected in the other studies.
- An Issues Paper to collate the main issues and conclusions emanating from the other six studies.
“These studies will help us form a picture of Malta’s current land use , so we can then establish likely future scenarios to plan for, as well as manage our limited land and sea resources sustainably and in an integrated manner. But the process is extremely time and resource intensive,” remarks Perit Borg.
To date, Terms of References for every study have been set out, and all the studies have commenced. The entire review is proceeding along a timeline set to coincide with the conclusion of the Issues Paper and formulation of future strategic growth scenarios. Specifically, the Development Capacity Study is of top priority as it will inform the other studies in terms of space availablity required for future social and economic growth .
“This current research stage is essential, but the most important element of the SPED’s review is still to come – and that’s the public consultation phase,” asserts Perit Borg in his closing remarks.
“Once completed, we will publish the studies and invite the public to actively participate in the Review process through contributions and suggestions before we then commence with the formulation of the new Spatial Strategy.
“Since this is a high-level strategic document, we cannot cater for site-specific issues, such as the designation of individual sites for development. But the new Strategy will eventually provide the direction for future planning policy and decision making by the PA going forward, so we encourage everyone to get involved in the public consultation next year.”
“We hope that there will be a healthy discussion, focused on our needs and a vision for the future of the Maltese Islands – one that will guarantee our wellbeing and foster our environment, whilst ensuring the required economic growth.”
More information on the revision of Malta’s Strategic Plan for Environment and Development can be found online.
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