Environmental NGOs Protest Planning Reforms at Castille

11 April 2026, 13:00 · Updated 12 April 2026, 16:01

A group of ten environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) gathered in front of the Auberge de Castille on Saturday to protest against proposed planning reforms. The protest was organised by a coalition known as the Ġustizzja Għal Artna (Justice for Our Land) campaign.

The NGOs called for four specific amendments to Malta's planning regulations. They stated that these changes should act as general principles for any reform aiming to serve the community's best interests.

Organisations such as the Ramblers Association, Din L-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien Għall-Ambjent Aħjar, and Moviment Graffitti were among those present. They held a press conference to voice their concerns.

The environmental groups strongly criticised the government's planned reforms, describing them as a "recipe for disaster". They emphasised the need for changes that protect Malta's environment and agricultural land.

Environmental organisations, including Moviment Graffitti, have further detailed their demands for major reforms to Malta's planning system. The groups, who protested outside Castille, urged the government to withdraw Bills 143 and 144, along with three related legal notices.

Their proposed plan to overhaul planning laws includes several key points. They called for an immediate halt to works on illegal developments and the demolition of existing illegal structures. Furthermore, the NGOs emphasised the need to protect Outside Development Zone (ODZ) land, advocating for an end to the sanctioning of illegal ODZ developments and a reversal of past rationalisation policies.

Environmental activists from the "Ġustizzja Għal Artna" campaign have presented four specific proposals to protect Malta's land. These ideas were taken to the Prime Minister's doorstep.

The proposals include stopping the use of public land for private sports facilities and ensuring that any development on Outside Development Zone (ODZ) land is only for public use. They also called for the creation of a national land use plan that specifically protects ODZ areas.

Among the suggestions was a more radical idea: to buy back all private ODZ land to convert it into public land.