The Planning Authority has announced that public consultation on the Partial Review of Current Local Plans focusing on the responsible marketing of sports facilities has continued. This review aims to align planning policies with the Sports Facilities Marketing Regulations (S.L. 455.12), and to establish a clear and consistent planning framework that allows for appropriate commercial opportunities while safeguarding the primary function of sports and recreation facilities.
During a press conference, the Minister for Gozo and Planning Clint Camilleri stated that “With this consultation we are taking an important step towards clearer planning that strengthens sport. Sports facilities must remain, first and foremost, spaces for sport, and therefore this policy establishes strict rules to ensure that any development is limited, responsible and supportive of sport. The balance between sport and commerce is also being safeguarded in this policy. This is because the policy establishes that at least 60% of the space must remain dedicated to sport and related activities, while commercial use cannot exceed 40%, and must always be secondary to the sporting function.”
Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima explained, “After Parliament passed legislation relating to this sector, and the legislation was unanimously approved, there is now the Planning Authority’s policy which will finally be able to reflect and therefore implement what is the law and also what is the spirit of this law”.
The proposed changes include:
- The introduction of general policies to support commercial facilities;
- Defining the type and scale of commercial development on land allocated for sports facilities;
- Adding safeguard measures to guarantee public access and protect the heritage, quality of life of residents and the environment.
These aim to create opportunities for sustainable development while maintaining the community benefits of these facilities. These changes allow sports organisations to add commercial activities, as well as social and community facilities, provided that they are in line with the principles outlined above.
The first phase of the consultation, which focused on the objectives of the review, gathered valuable feedback from members of the public and stakeholders. This information has been carefully considered in the development of the proposed policy changes.
The Key Objectives of the Review are:
- To introduce a holistic general planning policy for all local plans, in order to facilitate the objectives of the Sports Facilities Commercialisation Regulations;
- To establish the types, scale and forms of commercial development that are acceptable on land allocated for sports facilities;
- To include the necessary safeguards to protect the quality of life of the area’s residents, the cultural heritage, the natural environment and the transport infrastructure.
The Planning Authority encourages all interested parties to participate in this second phase of public consultation. The consultation period will be open from 13 February until 27 March 2026. The full document, including the proposed policy revisions, is available on the Planning Authority website: pa.org.mt. Comments and feedback can be sent by email to: sports_facilities@pa.org.mt.
The need for this review is due to the fact that the current local plans, dating back to 1995, 2002 and 2006, impose limitations on the commercialisation of sports facilities. This restricts the implementation of the Sports Facilities Commercialisation Regulations, which came into force in January 2017 and have been amended subsequently. The review aims to introduce a general policy that takes priority in cases where there are conflicts with existing local plan strategies and policies.