Pre-EU accession development race

Abstract

Now that Malta's accession to the European Union on May 1 next year has become official, awareness that this will entail more stringent environmental criteria has started to suffuse in our land-hungry construction industry and land speculators. This is easily evidenced by the plethora of outside development zone (ODZ) applications that are inundating MEPA. What amazes me is why the MEPA does not pull up its socks and adopt a completely different approach to such applications - for example, taking applicants to court and fining them for having the cheek to apply for an ODZ in the first place would certainly work wonders. Shaming ODZ applicants in public (as they do in the UK for rape convicts) is yet another hardline, but probably effective, approach. Make hay while the sun shines - now that election time is at least five years away, it's the ideal time for our authorities to take drastic vote-alienating measures, such as this one.