Businesses which have had illegal structures damaged by Storm Harry will not be eligible for full government compensation unless those illegalities are regularised with the Planning Authority, Prime Minister Robert Abela told journalists on Thursday.
Businesses will have one year to regularise themselves, otherwise they will not be able to get funding for repairs which concern the illegal parts of their development.
“If it is not regularised within one year, compensation will be limited to the part that is covered by the approved development,” Abela said.
“To give a hypothetical example, a commercial establishment may have a permit, but maybe a window might have been done without a permit. For the part that does not have a permit, compensation cannot be claimed unless, within one year, an application is submitted to the regulatory authorities to regularise that part of the development,” he said.
The Transport Ministry recently announced a €1 million fund to compensate for damage to private property caused by the storm where losses are not covered by insurance.
Abela had initially said that compliance with planning laws would be treated separately from emergency assistance. He said the government was willing to help all affected businesses when livelihoods were at stake.
But opposition mounted, with the Chamber of Commerce, the NGO Repubblika, the party Momentum, and most recently former Labour leader and Prime Minister Alfred Sant in his bi-weekly blog on The Malta Independent all criticising the stance.
Eligible businesses can receive funding covering up to 60 per cent of their total expenses, with a maximum amount of €20,000.
Businesses will have one year to regularise themselves, otherwise they will not be able to get funding for repairs which concern the illegal parts of their development.
“If it is not regularised within one year, compensation will be limited to the part that is covered by the approved development,” Abela said.
“To give a hypothetical example, a commercial establishment may have a permit, but maybe a window might have been done without a permit. For the part that does not have a permit, compensation cannot be claimed unless, within one year, an application is submitted to the regulatory authorities to regularise that part of the development,” he said.
The Transport Ministry recently announced a €1 million fund to compensate for damage to private property caused by the storm where losses are not covered by insurance.
Abela had initially said that compliance with planning laws would be treated separately from emergency assistance. He said the government was willing to help all affected businesses when livelihoods were at stake.
But opposition mounted, with the Chamber of Commerce, the NGO Repubblika, the party Momentum, and most recently former Labour leader and Prime Minister Alfred Sant in his bi-weekly blog on The Malta Independent all criticising the stance.
Eligible businesses can receive funding covering up to 60 per cent of their total expenses, with a maximum amount of €20,000.