The number of dwellings approved for construction on land that is outside the development zone (ODZ) is on the rise once again, after having reached an all-time low between 2011 and 2015.
Permit data for the period between 2000 and 2020 obtained by Lovin Malta shows the number of approved ODZ permits generally decreasing between 2007 and 2014. The 337 permits approved in 2014 were the lowest in over the last 20 years and almost three times less than the 917 approved in 2020.
Separate figures made available by the Planning Authority and which show the number of ODZ dwelling units approved each year, indicate a similar trend.
The number of approved units reached an all time low in 2012, when just 42 ODZ dwellings were approved, and have increased every year since.
But while the number of actual dwellings approved in 2019 and 2020 is hovering around the average number approved before 2009, the number of permits approved has continued to climb and is now higher than it has ever been.
There is only so much that can be gleaned from statistics but this either means that there has been a larger proportion of ODZ developments linked to agriculture and other non-residential uses is over the last five years, or a considerable amount of dwellings have been constructed or refurbished under false pretences.
It is a relatively well-known fact that with the right type of application – and architect – it is more than conceivable that one might be allowed to build a small villa or farmhouse disguised, at least on paper, as a “tool shed” or “agricultural store”.
The price of agricultural land has increased significantly in recent years and it doesn’t appear to be driven by growth in the sector. Rather, a number of loopholes have allowed for smaller dwellings to be built in ODZ land, converting agricultural land into villas with accompanying grounds.
This includes people who have decided to invest in their own property and increase its value and enjoyment potential, as well as those looking to sell it off as a summer property.
In most cases, this development is not intensive, though the prevalence of this type of development suggests the need for better-suited policies.
As for the data itself, the impact of the 2014 rural policy is clearly visible. The policy, the results from which would have started to be visible a year or so later, allowed ruins dating back many decades, on ODZ land, to be converted into dwellings if they can prove that someone lived on that site in the past.
Between 2015 and 2016, the number of approved dwellings shot up from 71 to 283.
That year understandably also saw a substantial increase in the number of approved permits, which increased from 554 to 736. But unlike the number of approved units, they have continued to increase since.
Development on virgin land increasing again
The Planning Authority’s statistics also include data on whether new development units were constructed on virgin or previously developed land. Whether or not that virgin land fell within the ODZ is not specified.
Dwellings built on virgin land peaked in 2007, with 5,269 units approved, equivalent to 46.5% of all dwellings approved that year.
The number decreased steadily reaching its lowest point – 1,067 units – in 2014 but has been creeping back up ever since, reaching 3,486 units in 2019.
While it is true that the share of new dwellings being built on virgin land has decreased quite substantially over the years, a look at the absolute figures tells a different story.
There were 2,788 units approved in 2000, making up 70.2% of all total development. By comparison 2019 – the last year before the pandemic – saw almost a thousand more units approved, though this only amounted to 27.9% of total development then.
It is likely that this is partly explained by the fact that buildings are getting higher and that therefore the same amount of land can result in more land than it did ten years ago.
This however means that the construction project will take a number of years and is likely to involve demolition works. It also makes it more likely to be taking place within inhabited areas, all contributing to discontent among the general public.
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