PN slams ‘piecemeal’ Villa Rosa plan, urges overhaul of Malta’s planning framework

The Opposition has issued a stern warning over proposed amendments to Malta’s Local Plan for the Villa Rosa area, accusing the government of engaging in “piecemeal” planning that undermines public trust and fails to safeguard the environment.

The PN is calling for a comprehensive, nationwide revision of all local plans, arguing that isolated changes such as those proposed for the Villa Rosa site in St Julian’s risk prioritising private developments over the public good.

Under the current proposals put forward by the Labour Government, the allowable building height in the area could soar from the current six to seven storeys to as high as 39 storeys — effectively tripling density levels without the necessary supporting studies or infrastructure planning, the Opposition said.

“The way this process is being handled raises serious concerns about the future of planning in Malta, and about whether the process is truly serving the public interest. Planning must always be based on a consistent national strategy, not a case-by-case approach to accommodate specific sites or individual projects.”

The PN’s objections come during the second phase of public consultation on changes to the North Harbours Local Plan. The proposed revisions would override the 2006 Local Plan limits, which were themselves undermined in 2014 by a Labour-era policy allowing for unlimited height in certain cases — a policy that has since been challenged and reined in by Maltese courts.

The developer behind the Villa Rosa project is Anton Camilleri (tal-Franċiż), who is also behind the Manoel Island development.

Planning Authority officials confirmed in a sitting of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment that the original height limit for the Villa Rosa site had been established under the 2006 plan. However, they also acknowledged that the 2014 policy shift had allowed for applications that exceeded those limits, creating a policy contradiction that has yet to be fully resolved, the PN said.

The Opposition highlighted the absence of a Strategic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED), which has not been updated since its expiry, and insisted that developments of this scale must be guided by rigorous studies, including:

• A Carrying Capacity Study;

• Infrastructure assessments covering water, sewage, electricity and traffic;

• A Social Impact Assessment;

• A cumulative environmental and visual impact analysis;

• And, crucially, a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which is a legal requirement under both Maltese law and EU Directive 2001/42/EC.

The party stressed that it was deeply concerning that none of these studies appear to have been carried out or published.

The PN is now urging the government to withdraw the proposed changes and instead initiate a holistic, nationwide review of all local plans. The party argues that this review must be rooted in a renewed SPED, supported by robust data, and shaped by meaningful public consultation.

Planning policy must be grounded in good governance and the public interest, not in accommodating individual projects, it added.

“The PN remains in favour of quality development that is sustainable, based on serious studies, clear planning, and genuine public consultation. At present, we are witnessing fragmented planning, case by case, change after change, without any national direction and without a proper planning framework.”

The Opposition called for the withdrawal of the Villa Rosa process and the launch of a comprehensive and holistic review of the Local Plan.

The Opposition has pledged to propose a new planning framework that it says will restore coherence and transparency to Malta’s development strategy. At its core, planning should prioritise environmental protection, quality of life, and community well-being, not just construction targets, the PN said.