L-Artikolu 72(2) tal-Kap 552 issostitwixxa dak li, preċedentement, kien l-Artikolu 69 tal-Kap 504.  Il-verżjoni Ingliża tal-Artikolu 72(2) tal-Kap 552 illum tgħid hekk:

‘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 or trading licence issued prior to 1994;

(c) regulations made under this Act:

Provided that the Planning Board shall only refer to plans, policies or regulations that have been finalised and approved by the Minister or the House of Representatives, as the case may be, and published;

(d) any other material consideration, including surrounding legal commitments, environmental, aesthetic and sanitary considerations, which the Planning Board may deem relevant;

(e) representations made in response to the publication of the development proposal; and

(f) representations and recommendations made by boards, committees and consultees in response to notifications of applications.’

Invece, l-Artikolu 69  tal-Kap 504 (illum sostitwit bl-imsemmi Artikolu 72(2) tal-Kap 552) kien jaqra hekk:

‘(1) In its determination upon an application the Authority shall:

(a) with respect to an application for a development permission apply the following:

(i) plans:

Provided that the height limitation may only be modified by applying a policy which deals with the maximum building height which may be permitted on a site, which policy may take into consideration the site coverage, the building volume which may be permitted on a site or any other material consideration;

(ii) 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;

(2) In its determination upon an application the Authority shall also have regard to:

(a) any other material consideration, including, environmental, aesthetic and sanitary considerations, which the Authority may deem relevant:

Provided that no such material consideration including commitment from other buildings in the surroundings may be interpreted or used to increase the height limitation set out in a plan;

(b) representations made in response to the publication of the development proposal’.

Mill-premess, jirriżultaw żewġ bidliet sinnifikanti li ġab miegħu l-Artikolu 72(2) tal-Kap 552 (paragunat mal-Artikolu 69 tal-Kap 504), ossija:

(i) L-EWWEL BIDLA: L-Artikolu 72(2) tal-Kap 552 irid li, anke jekk mingħajr ħjiel ta’ x’għandu jipprevali fuq x’hiex, l-Awtorita’ għandha obligu tqis (‘shall have regard to’) il-pjanijiet, policies, regolamenti, il-kunsiderazzjonijiet ta’ sustanza (‘material considerations’) u r-rappreżentazzjonijiet tal-konsulenti esterni, dawk interni kif ukoll tat-terzi nteressati. L-Artikolu 69(2) tal-Kap 504, invece, kien jimponi fuq l-Awtorita’ sabiex, fl-ewwel lok, din tapplika (‘shall apply’) il-pjanijiet u l-policies iżda fl-istess nifs tqis (‘shall have regard to’) il- kunsiderazzjonijiet ta’ sustanza (‘material considerations’) flimkien ma’ dak li jitnissel mir-rappreżentazzjonijiet tal-konsulenti esterni u interni kif ukoll dawk tat-terzi nteressati. Huwa loġiku li dan it-traġitt leġislattiv ma sarx għalxejn. Din l-emenda ma tistax tinftiehem mod ieħor ħlief li l-leġislatur, illum, irid li l-organi deċiżjonali jieħdu kont indaqs tal-pjanijiet, policies, regolamenti, il-kunsiderazzjonijiet ta’ sustanza (‘material considerations’), ir-rappreżentazzjonijiet tal-konsulenti flimkien ma’ dawk tat-terzi nteressati. Biex inkun għidt kollox, il-liġi preżenti  hija  siekta dwar x’jiġri f’każ ta’ kunflitt bejn, ngħidu aħna, policy tal-ippjanar u kunsiderazzjoni ta’ sustanza (bħalma hu l-legal commitment viċinanti). Dwar hekk, pero’, fil-każ Simpson vs Edinburgh Corporation^[1], li kien jitratta appuntu l-interpretazzjoni ta’ dik li kienet Section 12(1) tat- Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1947 (fejn allura applikazzjoni ta’ żvilupp  riedet tiġi determinata billi ‘…to have regard to the provisions of the development plan, so far as material to the application, and to any other material considerations….’), Lord Guest sostna dan:

‘….It was argued for the pursuer that this section required the planning authority to adhere strictly to the development plan. I do not so read this section. ‘To have regard to’ does not, in my view, mean ‘slavishly to adhere to.’ It requires the planning authority to consider the development plan, but does not oblige them to follow it . . . If Parliament had intended the planning authority to adhere to the development plan, it would have been simple so to express it . . . .In my opinion, the meaning of section 12(1) is plain. The planning authority are to consider all the material considerations, of which the development plan is one.’

Minn dak li jgħid Lord Guest, jikkonsegwi li  l-kliem ‘to have regard to….policies’ (fil-verżjoni tal-liġi Maltija, il-kliem ‘have rgerd to’ huma ‘tqis’) ma jfissrux li l-organi deċiżjonali  huma neċessarjament tenuti ‘jaderixxu’ skrupolożament mal-policies. Ovjament, Lord Guest ma qalx li  l-policies jistgħu jiġu konvenjentement injorati. Qiegħed, pero, jaċċertana li l-policies, bħal del resto ir-regolamenti, il-kunsiderazzjonijiet ta’ sustanza (‘material considerations’), ir-rappreżentazzjonijiet tal-konsulenti kif ukoll dawk tat-terzi nteressati għandhom jintefaw kollha fil-miżien u, in fine, l-organi deċiżjonali għandhom iqisu dak li huwa raġjonevolment applikabbli u jiehdu d-deċiżjoni fejn huwa xieraq. Ma narax għaliex dak li qal Lord Guest m’għandux japplika fil-kuntest Malti. Il-leġislatur m’eliminax il-kliem ‘shall apply plans and policies’ mit-test legali għalxejn.

Guarda caso, fir-Renju Unit, ġara li l-liġi nbidlet bid-dħul fis-seħħ ta’ Section 54A fit- Town and Country Planning Act 1990 li tgħid hekk:

‘Status of development plans

Where, in making any determination under the planning Acts, regard is to be had to the development plan, the determination shall be made in accordance with the plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.’

B’hekk, fil-każ tar-Renju Unit fil-preżent, id-development plan għandu jieħu s-sopravvent fuq kwalsijasi kunsiderazzjonijiet ta’ sustanza sakemm il-bżonn ma jiddettax mod ieħor. Is-sitwazzjoni f’Malta, pero’, tavviċina aktar lejn is-sitwazzjoni kif kienet meta  Section 12(1) tat- Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1947 kienet fis-seħħ. Kif għidt, ma nara ebda raġuni għaliex dak li qal Lord Guest m’għandux japplika fil-kuntest ta’ l-Artikolu 72(2), permezz ta’ liema il-leġislatur Malti ntroduċa il-kliem ‘shall have regard to plans, policies, material considerations……’  minflok ‘shall apply plans and policies’/’shall have regard to material considerations’;

(ii)        IT-TIENI BIDLA: Bidla oħra li tkompli tirrijafferma t-teżi li l-organi deċiżjonali jistgħu jistrieħu fuq il-commitment a skaptu anke tal-policy ġejja mill-fatt li l-Artikolu 72(2) tal-Kap 552 jindividwa s-‘surrounding legal commitment’ bħala kunsiderazzjoni ta’ sustanza mentri  l-Artikolu 69 fil-Kap 504 preċedenti kien jipprojbixxi b’mod espliċitu l-użu tal-‘commitment’ bħala pretest biex il-height limitations jiġu skartati;

Nonostante cio, il-Qorti Maltija evidentement ma taqbilx għal kollox mal-pożizzjoni kif hawn fuq spjegata stante li din tinsisti li l-elementi kollha li nsibu fl-Artikolu 71(2) tal-Kap 552 semai jikkumplimentaw u mhux jissostitwixxu l-liġijiet, pjanijiet u policies, almenu sa fejn dawn huma ċari. Infatti, teżisti rassenja ta’ sentenzi fejn jingħad li permess ma jistax jinħareġ  fuq il- preċett tal-valur u l-effett tal-element tal-commitment u dan abbażi tal-prinċipju li ‘ebda commitment ma jista’ jġib fix-xejn liġi, pjan jew policy’.^[2]

Detto questo, fis-sentenza fl-ismijiet Ghaqda tar-Residenti ta’ Santa Maria Estate vs L-Awtorita’ tal-Ippjanar^[3], il-Qorti qalet li  deċiżjoni ta’ l-ippjanar m’għandiex tmur kontra l-aspettattiva leġittima u ta’ sustanza meta, jekk wieħed jimxi skont il-policy, ser ikun ifisser l-eċċezzjoni flagranti għal dak li jirriżulta legalment żviluppat fiż-żona.

[1] Ara sentenza fl-ismijiet Simpson vs Edinburgh Corpn. [1961] S.L.T. 17.

[2] Ara sentenza fl-ismijiet Michael Debrincat vs L-Awtorita tal-Ippjanar (gia l-Awtorita ta’ Malta dwar l-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar)deċiża mill-Qorti tal-Appell nhar l-24 ta’ Ottubru, 2018 (Ap55/18)

[3] Ara sentenza fl-ismijiet Ghaqda tar-Residenti ta’ Santa Maria Estate vs L-Awtorita’ tal-Ippjanar (gia’ l-Awtorita’ ta’ Malta dwar l-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar) u l-kjamat in kawza Marc Spiteri deċiża mill-Qorti tal-Appell nhar il-15 ta’ Ottubru, 2020 (Ap43/19)