Mepa announces concessions for minor irregularities

Owners of residences that have a minor irregularity which is not creating a disturbance to neighbours can apply to be granted a partial compliance certificate, Mepa said today. Compliance is regulated by a legal notice issued yesterday. The measures were largely proposed by the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Development Planning. Mepa said the concessions seek to address the social realities of a number of families who ended up with a property that could not be modified or supplied with water and electricity due to the departures from permits. The legal notice allows a concession for minor encroachments which go beyond the existing official building alignment. These developments include pilasters, ramps and steps which do not protrude more than 30 centimetres beyond the official alignment onto the pavement as long as the pavement width of 1.2 metres is retained. This concession does not prohibit any public authority, including the Local Council to request that the illegality is removed. A concession is also being given to a number of minor encroachments which exist within the footprint of a built property. This includes cases where the façade of a building encroaches...