Law Blog

Under the current Development Planning Act, planning permissions may be revoked if the conditions of Article 80 are met. This disposition states: “80. (1) The Planning Board shall have the power, within the validity period of the relevant permission, to correct any error or omission, either on its own initiative or upon a request made […]

Bill 143 also proposes the introduction of a new Article 72(11) which states: “(11) The Minister may, by regulations, establish rules governing the period of validity of development permits, including provisions for varying such periods, provided that any variation shall have the effect of extending the validity of a permit or reinstating the validity of […]

Article 72(5) of the current Development Planning Act states the following: “Any permission still in force shall automatically pass on to the new owners of the development.” Bill No. 143 seeks to modify the said Article 72(5) as follows: “Any permission that remains in force shall attach to the site to which it relates and […]

Under the present framework of the Development Planning Act (Cap. 552), the renewal of development permissions is regulated by Article 72(4) and its provisos: “(4) A development permission may be granted for a limited period but shall cease to be operative if the activity or development has not been completed within the period specified in […]

The Current wording of Article 72(2) is as follows: “(2) In its determination upon an application for development permission, the Planning Board shall have regard to:(a) plans;(b) policies:Provided that subsidiary plans and policies shall not be applied retroactively so as to adversely affect vested rights arising from a valid development permission, or a valid police […]

Bill No. 143 of 2025 proposes a notable redrafting of Article 70 of the Development Planning Act, reshaping the core definition of “development” without altering its underlying structure of general definition plus specific exemptions. The reform lies in the better wording, the addition of two new exemptions, and the absorption of content from sub-articles (3) […]