SPEECH BY THE HON. GEORGE PULLICINO, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY AT THE MINISTRY FOR HOME AFFAIRS DURING THE ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE ON DESIGN CONCEPTS AND PLANNING FOR INDUSTRIAL BUILDING

"The planning process and land for industry"

The Temporary Provisions Schemes had allocated 565,000m² of land in Malta and 28,000m² of land in Gozo for industrial use. This is over and above the land owned by the Malta Development Corporation, which land is earmarked for industrial use. After 11 years, 49% of such land in Malta (277,000m²) and 87% of such land in Gozo (25,000m²) remain undeveloped. This is not to say that they should be developed just for the sake of being developed. The development of the land is always in relation to the demand for industrial space which should be determined by the actual needs of industry and not speculative demand.

The figures shown above have one clear message: there is still land allocated for industrial development which is not owned by Government. Moreover, given that 71% of the total floorspace owned by MDC in Malta and a corresponding 66% for Gozo are still vacant, it is also clear there is still a considerable amount of floorspace to be utilised. Allocation of land does not automatically translate itself into the availability of that land for the purpose to which it was allocated. As a nation, we have been acknowledging for a long time that land is scarce but sometimes the way land has been utilised seems to indicate otherwise.

Measures need to be drawn up to address both the issue of land allocation and availability and the design of industrial buildings in order to maximise space. If such measures are not to be seriously addressed then we would be putting at risk sustainable development in the Maltese Islands. Incentives need to be devised so that owners of land that has been earmarked for industrial use would be put on the market. Disincentives for such owners to keep land undeveloped should also be considered but not before incentives would have been given time to be tested.

The design of industrial space need to be upgraded. New ideas are required in order to accommodate the new demands that are made by emerging industries. Space currently available for industrial purposes needs to be reorganised while other space that may be required by new industries, such as Information Technology, may need to be provided.

The main cultural challenge that has to be faced from all government departments and agencies is that we all need to work less on an individual basis, co-ordinate more between each other and we will definitely be more effective in promoting sustainable development and meeting the demands of industry.

The participation of all stakeholders in the planning process is crucial. The amended Development Planning Act will give a strategic role to the Inter-Departmental Planning Committee which is composed of representatives of various Government departments and agencies.

This Committee, which will be chaired by a representative of the Office of the Prime Minister, will monitor and co-ordinate the implementation of the functions conferred upon a Government Department or agency by the Structure plan or any other development plan or planning policy. The Planning Authority shall also keep such Committee informed of the performance of Government departments and agencies in answering to requests for consultation by the Planning Authority. This will ensure that any initiative that is taken with respect to industry and that has land-use implications will be able to be integrated into the planning system, monitored and any problems that are encountered with its implementation can be resolved in an integrated manner as well.

More emphasis will need to be given to inter-sectoral collaboration in drawing up plans since the demands of one sector may have conflict with the demands of another. So resolving such conflicts has to be made through frank and informed debates. The Micro-Enterprises Study, commissioned by the Institute for the Promotion of Small Enterprises (IPSE) in collaboration with MDC and the Planning Authority and the Industry Subject Study commissioned by MDC in collaboration with the Planning Authority are two examples by which Government agencies collaborate with each other in order to converge their goals in an efficient and effective manner.

The public consultation process with respect to local and other plans is being widened to include also planning policies. This is important since planning policies that affect industry will be available for all stakeholders' comments so that the consultation process would be an all-inclusive one. Certain details of policy are best provided by industry itself and therefore it is important that operators can give contributions to a policy at its formulation stage.

The changes in policy that are being carried out by the Planning Authority are making it easier for industrial buildings to make changes to their internal layouts. The new Development Notification Order that came into effect on 1^st June 2001 removes the requirement for industrial buildings to have a full development application where internal alterations are proposed to be carried out and where small extensions are made. Moreover, last year changes were made to the Use Classes Order whereby a full development application is not required any more for a change of use between certain classes of development in industrial areas run by the MDC. The thrust of the policy changes was the removal of unnecessary controls where these were in existence without reneging its responsibility to ensure that control is exercised on the external impacts of the industrial process.

The challenges presented by the needs of industry and the size of the island which has one of the highest population densities in the world are addressed to various actors. The challenge to the Planning Authority are to make the necessary changes to policies that affect industry while keeping the necessary controls where the external environment is affected and to analyse the industry's land requirements especially where such industry requires particular location characteristics.

The challenge to Government is to draw up incentives to make land already allocated for industrial purposes to be made available on the market. The challenge to periti is to come up with novel solutions that make maximum use of the land available. The challenge to all stakeholders, especially Government departments and agencies, is to make full use of the participation process of the planning system. Otherwise there cannot be an effective integrated planning which takes into account the various sectorial interests.