Planning appeals reform ‘should be first item on Parliament’s agenda’ after summer break – PN

The Nationalist Party wants the planning appeals reform to be the first Bill placed on the agenda for second reading when Parliament reconvenes in October.

The PN had recently called on the Government not to proceed with the Bill’s Second Reading until it has published the full outcome of the public consultation. “Parliament should not be asked to debate a reform without first knowing the outcome of a consultation that the Government itself chose to undertake.”

Speaking with this newsroom, the PN stressed its hope that the Government will make the Bill a priority and that it will be the first Bill discussed. “Enough time has already been lost on abysmal planning reforms that the Government ultimately had to abandon.”

In 2025, the Government faced severe backlash over its proposed planning reforms, with criticism largely focused on changes unrelated to the planning appeals system. Earlier this year, Government issued a new public consultation on a reform focussing solely on the appeals procedure. This new consultation recently concluded.

The proposed changes to the appeals procedure are built around three main pillars: The automatic suspension of relevant planning permits when an appeal is filed, clearer deadlines for cases to be decided, and increased digitalisation and administrative support for the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT).

The Nationalist Party on Monday launched its own consultation process on planning appeals reform. Making its announcement, the party had said that the contributions received will form part of the Opposition’s work ahead of the Second Reading and will help shape its parliamentary position and any amendments that may be proposed during the legislative process.

Some, such as civil society group Il-Kollettiv, expressed concern over the PN consultation. Il-Kollettiv said that “enough time has been wasted on a reform in favour of residents,” and said that both residents’ associations and Ġustizzja għal Artna already gave their consent to these amendments during the Government consultation.

The PN was contacted by this newsroom, and asked why it is launching a public consultation now and what the party aims to get out of this consultation.

“There is agreement on the principle of the reform. Indeed, not only do we support it, but we have been pressing the Government for years to advance it, given how long it has been delayed,” the PN replied.

“The Government has now opened the reform to consultation once again, having already done so in 2023, and the current proposal is substantially improved. That does not, however, mean that there is agreement on every detail of the Bill. The eNGOs, for example, have already identified areas in which they believe further improvements are necessary.”

The PN said that it has a responsibility to listen to all those who believe they can contribute, and to consider any amendments that may be required.

“For that reason, once the Government’s consultation closed, we launched our own. It will close a couple of weeks before Parliament reconvenes in October. We want to hear directly from stakeholders about how the proposed provisions would operate in practice, whether they could give rise to unintended consequences, and whether further amendments are needed.”

“The purpose, therefore, is certainly not to reopen the question of whether reform is necessary. It is necessary, and it is long overdue. Rather, our aim is to ensure that the legislation ultimately enacted addresses all the problems it is intended to solve.”