The Planning and Development Act, no. 5 of 2019.

This Act, consisting of 110 articles, divided into 12 Parts, provides for: the orderly and progressive development of land; the grant of permission to develop land and the attainment of appropriate standards for land use and development; powers to regulate land use and development; effective access to administrative and judicial proceedings, in order to: ensure the sustainable use of public and private land in the interests of present and future generations; protect the natural and cultural heritage and promote public health. This Act concerns: agriculture, including: horticulture, fruit growing, seed growing, dairy farming, the breeding and keeping of livestock or poultry, the use of land as grazing land, meadow land, market gardens and nursery grounds, and the use of land for woodlands; aquaculture; change in the use of land; clearing; development; environment; environmental impact assessment; foreshore; Heritage Conservation Area; initial environmental evaluation; land; mineral; mining operation; protected area declaration order; land subdivision; territorial waters; waste material.
Part II of the Act concerns administration and provides for: duties of the Minister; establishment of the Planning and Development Board and its Constitution; procedure of the Board; applications to be determined by the Board; Planning and Development Department; duties of the Chief Town planner. Part III concerns physical development Plans and particularly: preparation of the physical development plan; content of the plan, including: prescription for the use and development of land, inclusion of maps and descriptive matters, allocation of land for residential, industrial, commercial, tourism, conservation, agricultural or other purposes; preparation of the plans; procedure for approval, review and revision of the plans. Part IV concerns Regulation of Land Development and provides for: meaning of development, including: the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations related to land, the subdivision of land; definition of activities and operations that do not constitute development of land; permission required for development of land; applications to determine whether permission is required; development order to grant planning permission; consultation before applying for planning permission and approval; applications for planning permission, including: any existing deficiency in the provision of water or electricity supplies to the land; requirements for further information; publicity for application; environmental impact assessment and Ministerial regulations related to; permission to regularise unauthorised development; determination of application by the Board; procedures and operations related to the applications.
Part V concerns building, engineering and subdivision plans; emergency operations; subdivision plans and conservation of natural resources; flood control; reservation and transfer of open space. Part VI concerns the protection of the cultural and natural heritage, providing for: lists of places of natural beauty or natural interest, including submarine and subterranean areas, and their flora and fauna; restrictions and prohibitions within the declared areas; soil conservation, recovery and rehabilitation; tree preservation; planning permission to include provisions concerning trees. Part VII concerns control of outdoor advertisement. Part VIII concerns enforcement. Part IX concerns acquisition of land for planning purposes for the improvement of economic, social and environmental well-being. Other Parts concern: Compensation; Appeals and Miscellaneous. Attached Schedules provides for amendments to the Coastal Zone Management Act and details matters for which environmental impact assessment is required, including: solid waste disposal site, toxic waste disposal site or other waste management facility, a sewage or wastewater treatment plant, a desalination plant or water purification plant, mining operations.