Organisation

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The Directorates

Development Planning Directorate

This Directorate is responsible for the promotion and control of proper land development, both public and private, in accordance with approved policies and plans. It seeks to achieve sustainable development throughout the Maltese Islands through the preparation and implementation of development plans and policies. This directorate is segmented into two divisions namely: the Forward Planning Division and the Development Services Division.

Through the Plan Making and Policy Development Unit, the Forward Planning Division formulates and proposes guidelines and development briefs that in turn become planning policies. This Unit is also responsible for processing planning control applications and giving policy guidance on local plans or other MEPA approved or emergent policies. The Transport Planning Unit, within this division is responsible for offering technical advice on issues related to transport such as the management and assessment of traffic impact statements and parking provisions associated with development applications.

The Heritage Planning Unit, which is another compliment of Forward Planning administers the scheduling process of designated cultural, archaeological and natural sites, remains, areas or other property and manages the National Protective Inventory. The Minerals Unit is responsible for the processing of development permit applications for new quarries and extensions to existing mineral operations and the monitoring of quarry sites and related operations (including vibrations, noise etc.).

The Development Control Unit within the Development Services Division is the engine house where the processing of development permit applications is carried out, from the pre-submission meetings to the preparation of planning application reports. This unit is also responsible for processing Development Notification clearances and with taking decisions on certain applications under delegated powers. A Major projects team handles the processing of larger scale developments and national projects.

The division has an enforcement arm through the Enforcement Unit, this unit is divided into two sections. The Enforcement section is responsible for inspecting, monitoring and tackling development cases that are breaching development planning permit conditions. The Unit is responsible also for enforcing the Construction Site Management regulations and the Vacant Sites Initiative. Supplementary to this unit is the Direct Action section that commissions the demolition of illegal development.

The Gozo office is equipped and responsible for processing development permit applications on the Island and handles enforcement cases both with respect to planning and environment protection. Planning applications that are considered as Major Projects and direct action operations in Gozo are handled by the respective units in Malta.

Environment Protection Directorate

This directorate is responsible for advising on isuses related to environmental standards and policies, draws up plans and provides a licensing regime to safeguard and monitor the environment and controls the activities having environmental impact. The directorate is divided into 7 units.

Within the Director’s office, the EU and Multilateral Affairs unit coordinates MEPA deliverables with an EU and Multilateral content, including co-ordination of projects financed under internationally funded instruments where MEPA is a beneficiary or service provider, and improving the environmental performance of internationally funded programmes, co ordinating input to Malta’s position on EU environment pipeline Acquis and policy, and on EU obligations where MEPA has competence, co-ordination of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) where MEPA officers are focal points, and co-ordination of overseas missions by MEPA officials to maximize business value.

The unit responsible for Environmental Permitting and Industry coordinates the environmental permitting and compliance auditing of industrial and waste management installations. The unit manages the areas of IPPC, E-PRTR, VOCs, SMEs, Better Regulation, IMPEL and UWWT; unit A in terms of development of legislation, contributing to the development of EU legislation, provision of guidance to industry on Best Available Techniques, Emissions limits and the development of better regulation initiatives.

The Environmental Assessment Unit coordinates the EPD's assessment of development projects and the EPD's role on related matters. In particular, the unit manages: the EIA and Appropriate Assessment processes and technical assessment of environmentally-relevant development proposals. Among other related functions, the unit is also EPD's primary liaison with the Planning Directorate, with the HAC Natural Heritage Panel (NHAC), and with the SEA Audit Team, and also represents environmental interests in planning-related fora and in the formulation of environmentally-relevant legislation, policy and operating procedures.

The Ecosystems Management Unit coordinates activities, policy and strategies related to MEPA's response in the areas of ecosystems management, nature protection, GMOs and biosafety. This includes, amongst others, issues related to the EC Habitats Directive and the Natura 2000 Network of Protected Areas, the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), terrestrial and marine protected areas, habitat and species protection and management, nature permitting applications and processes (including CITES) and the implementation and follow-up of EU-funded projects related to biodiversity and nature protection.

Another Unit within the direcorate coordinates the following policy areas: air quality, waste management, radiation, noise and soil. The work of Unit D also includes the administration of transfrontier shipment of waste, registration of packaging and WEEE producers and the management of the air quality monitoring network.

The unit responsible for climate change and marine policy co-ordinates MEPA input on the following policy areas: climate change, energy, water, marine strategy and coastal zone management. The Unit is also responsible for administering the national Emissions Trading Scheme and co-ordinates the EPD input on SEVES

The Policy Coordination Unit was set up to improve coordination between policymaking processes across the Authority. The Unit is also responsible for a number of cross-cutting dossiers such as sustainable development and environmental health. In addition, the Unit is responsible for coordinating the regular preparation of state of the environment reports and indicators.

Corporate Services Directorate

The Corporate Services Directorate is responsible to ensure that the entire organization is serviced and provides a sound infrastructure for the directorates to carry out their responsibilities and functions. This directorate also manages the commercial services of the Authority.

With a staff complement of over 420 employees, segregated into two principle streams, professional staff and technical/clerical staff, the Human Resources Unit ensure that the organization is equipped with the appropriate and competent level of human resources. The Office ensures that the two separate collective agreements are respected and liaises with the two recognized unions, the UHM which represents technical/clerical staff and the in-house UPAP union which represents the professional staff. The office is also responsible for conducting training and learning initiatives and matters related to health and safety.

The Information and Communication Technology Unit secures the organisation with all the infrastructure development, application systems, support and maintenance to cater for the continual gathering/sharing of data and information for internal and external users.

The Information Resources Unit (IRU) serves as the focal point for research-based activities and the full data cycle. It is responsible for information management functions inclusive of the data function, the GI thematic function and an integrated research function. IRU also hosts the Library function and caters for DIGITAL publication development. On an international scale, IRU is involved in a number of EU and international projects as well as the EEA-EU dataflow management processes.

The Financial Control Unit is responsible for the budgeting, financial planning and cash management of the Authority.

The Authority offers commercial services through its Mapping and Land Surveying Units. The Mapping section is Malta’s National Mapping Agency and provides topographic data and mapping services to the organization and corporate clients. Complimentary to this is the Land Surveying section that is responsible for setting out alignments and levels of proposed roads.

The directorate is also responsible for the customer services rendered at the front desk including technical planning advice and information queries, the mailing room operations, library services and support services division.

Chairman’s Office

This Office provides the framework, leadership and direction within which the organization together with the MEPA Board, the Development Control Commissions and Advisory Committees operate.

Central to the function of this office is the DCC Secretariat which is the primary point of contact for MEPA’s customers at the last phase of the development planning process. Focused on providing an enhanced customer care service, the secretariat compiles agenda schedules for the boards, notifies applicants, architects and interested third parties of board hearings and manages the post decision process. Through the adoption of more vigilant and streamlined work practices, the secretariat has also become responsible for the processing, renewing and releasing of bank guarantees associated with numerous planning permits. Ministries, government departments and agencies as well as the general public make use of the secretariat for queries and information purposes.

Under the direction of the Chairman, the Communications Office seeks to promote and enhance the corporate image of the Authority and raise awareness about environmental and planning issues. The office also seeks to promote and sustain a service culture which meets the expectations of the Authority’s clients amongst others through the monitoring, dissemination and continual contact with its clients during the process of service. Responsible for the implementation of the Public participation pillar of the Aarhus Convention, it is the office’s role to carry out and facilitate public participation initiatives for policy making and formulation. The Communications Office is also responsible to facilitate the communications within the Authority.

The Complaints Office is responsible for dealing with complaints from the public and various other entities related to the services rendered by the Authority. This office is also responsible for co-ordinating the processing of EU funded projects and Capital projects that require MEPA permits. The Complaints office handles the issuing of compliance certificates.

The Legal Office assisted by a private law firm is responsible for all the litigation involving MEPA in the law courts and Planning Appeal Board. Besides tendering legal advice to the various units within MEPA, the legal office also assists in drafting and vetting of legislative instruments.