No fast track for Smart City

The development permit process for Smart City took more than two-and-a-half years to be completed, not 60 days as the Labour Party has claimed. Konrad Mizzi, Labour’s energy proposal frontman, has said Labour is planning “a fast- track approach” for development permits for a new power station “like the one used for Smart City” and would target a 60-day planning approval deadline. A breakdown of the Smart City planning process obtained from Mepa showed it took 31 months for the company to start construction from the day it submitted its application. Although Mepa considered Smart City to be a priority, the complicated process – which included changes to the local plan, approval by Parliament, an Environmental Impact Statement and an obligatory public consultation – was only complete after more than two-and-a-half years. Full story in The Times.