Enforcement rules to be changed by Mepa

Crackdowns on building illegalities could soon start taking even longer due to a decision by the planning authority to give property owners up to three years to get their non-compliant structures approved. One of the first decisions of the incoming Malta Environment and Planning Authority board was to introduce an enforcement provision which allows developers a defined time of 36 months “to try and obtain any necessary sanctioning”. To make use of this allowance, developers must agree to be bound by a stringent bank guarantee to Mepa amounting to €200 per square metre of the space “constituting or comprising” the infringements. The minimum threshold is €3,000 while the maximum is €1 million, though it was initially quoted at €200,000, sources added. “The bank guarantee would be released once the development on site is certified to comply with development permits, and any sanctioning or accumulated daily fines and any direct action bills would have been paid,” according to a Mepa document seen by The Sunday Times of Malta. It adds that 10 per cent of the bank guarantee would be retained by Mepa as a “settlement fine”. When asked to explain the recent decision, a spokeswoman for...