Regulations, 2024

L.N. 240 of 2024

GOVERNMENT LANDS ACT

(CAP. 573)

Government-Owned Agricultural Land (Amendment)

Regulations, 2024

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 31(g)(L) of the

Government Lands Act, the Minister responsible for the Lands

Authority has made the following regulations:-

The title of these regulations is the Government-Owned

Agricultural Land (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 and these

regulations shall be read and construed as one with the Government-

Owed Agricultural Land Regulations, hereinafter referred to as the

"principal regulations".

In regulation 2 of the principal regulations, immediately

after the definition "agricultural use obligation" there shall be added

the following new definition

" "authorised societies" means the Maltese

Pyrotechnic Association and, or its successors, and shall

also include any other firework societies in relation to the

town and village feasts and which are not members of the

Maltese Pyrotechnic Association and who hold all the

necessary licences and permits in accordance with the

Explosives Ordinance;".

Paragraph (b) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 11 of the

principal regulations shall be amended as follows

(a) in sub-paragraph (i) thereof, the words "in Malta;

and" shall be substituted by the words "in Malta;"; and

(b) in sub-paragraph (ii) thereof, the words "to all the

proposed sub-divisions." shall be substituted by the words "to all

the proposed sub-divisions; and" and immediately after there

shall be added the following new sub-paragraph

"(iii) it is ascertained that any division or any

undivided share of any agricultural land leased in solidum

is not less than the footprint of one thousand and one

hundred and twenty-four square metres (1,124m 2 ) and a

request for any division of the agricultural land that results

in land measuring less than the indicated area shall be

refused.".

Immediately after regulation 12 of the principal regulations Adds new

there shall be added the following new regulation

(1) Whenever the lessee is notified in

writing by the Authority, he shall leave the agricultural

land vacant from any agricultural produce and give

adequate access, without any compensation right, to the

authorised societies for a stipulated period for the

discharge of fireworks displays in relation to town and

village feasts subject to the issue of permits by the

Commissioner of Police

Provided that the Authority shall also include

in such notice that period within which the authorised

societies may use the land before the date of the discharge

of firework displays.

(2) The authorised societies shall, through an

application form provided by the Authority and as subject

to the provisions of these regulations, apply and obtain

the consent of the Authority to discharge any fireworks

on any Government-owned agricultural land which was

already being used to discharge fireworks before or until

the 31st December 2024

Provided that where a request is made by the

authorised societies in relation to Government-owned

agricultural land which was not being used for the

discharge of fireworks before or until the 31st December

2024, the authorised societies shall prove to the

satisfaction of the Authority that the land upon which the

fireworks were being discharged before or until the 31st

December 2024 no longer satisfies the requirements

stipulated in the Explosives Ordinance.

(3) The authorised societies shall submit the

application to the Authority by not later than 31st May of

each year and shall indicate the dates when the fireworks

are to be discharged covering the period between the 16th

August of the current year until the 15th August of the

subsequent year

Provided that the requests made until the 31st

May 2025 shall cover the fireworks to be discharged on

Government-owned land during all the feasts to be held in

the year 2025 and the period until the 16th August of the

year 2026.

(4) The authorised societies shall obtain all the

necessary licences and permits in accordance with the

Explosives Ordinance.

(5) The authorised societies shall return the

agricultural land back to the lessee within seven (7) days

from the celebration of the feast and in the same

condition that it was given to them and clean from any

objects related to the discharge of fireworks.".

€0.27