Regional socio-economic development plan for the South of Malta : part 4 : consultations

Abstract

Every phase towards the successful completion of the regional socio-economic development plan was designed to create a collage of vital information and different ideas originating from a wide variety of sources. This was an essential prerequisite for a plan which deals primarily with the socio-economic development of the South of Malta. The importance of setting up the necessary communication pathways was stressed in the Project Brief, the instrument which provided the essential guidelines for all Planning Council operations. The Planning Council was detailed to "consult fully with the Local Councils concerned, the Planning Authority, Government Departments and Corporations and the private sector on all findings".

The Planning Council acted accordingly by devising an exhaustive programme of consultations with all concerned bodies, that is, the eleven Local Councils concerned, government departments, corporations and both state and nongovernmental organisations. As regards to Government Departments, every Ministry appointed liaison officer/s as focal point/s for the Planning Council. All liaison officers were invited for an informal consultation meeting with the Planning Council. The purpose of such informal meetings was to establish a link between Ministries/Departments and the Planning Council together with its selected pool of professionals identified by the Council to assist the Local Councils concerned to draft the technical reports. For such informal meetings all the Planning Council members were invited to attend. [excerpt]