Politics and stakeholders in the planning system : the case of the City Centre Project

Abstract

This thesis is an exploration of the events and controversies which surround a project in the making. As has been the case in other countries, the Maltese planning system has been placed under scrutiny since its early days, and often criticized for its relation to politics and thereby to practices of clientelism and patronage. Contemporary planning processes are no less political and are indeed an important means of achieving a government’s mandate. The aim of this dissertation is to explore the relationship between planning and politics in Malta by analysing the controversies which surround the recently approved project of City Centre in Pembroke, through the lens of stakeholder tensions. The local case study is preceded by a study of the controversies featured in the development control process of the Shard, London; this project also featuring a high-rise development in the context of a densely populated urban centre. An in-depth stakeholder perception exercise has been carried out by conducting semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders who were directly or indirectly involved in the planning process of the City Centre project. The information gathered from these stakeholders was then assessed in the light of perceptions submitted by the respondents of a purposely-designed survey. The results show a strong positive correlation between politics and the planning system in Malta, with the majority of respondents citing political involvement as the primary feature of the controversies related to the City Centre Project. Another phenomenon which emerged as central to these controversies is that of NIMBYism, which allowed the author to analyse certain opinions on the Maltese planning process, especially as it is portrayed in the media. A discussion of the above topics concludes this dissertation, though many other possible strands of further study have ensued throughout the process of speaking with stakeholders and understanding the spatial-political context within which they operate. The focus on the direct relationship between politics and planning as experienced by stakeholders of the City Centre Project must be read in the light of this wider context.