Mellieħa residents are raising concerns about a development application proposing the construction of a 26-room guesthouse and 28 apartments on a  green area.

The application, PA 07710/24, targets an area between Triq is-Salib and Triq Salvu Camilleri and includes plans for excavation and construction.

According to the application, the site would be developed into a guesthouse equipped with a spa, pools, bar, breakfast area, and gym. Additionally, 28 apartments, 12 underground garages, and 21 car spaces would also be built. 

The application is inside a development zone.

Proposed Elevation at Triq Salvu Camilleri and sign detail Photo: PA Website

The site applicant is 121 Properties (Roderick Conti). Architect Gilbert Bartolo is designing the project.

The Mellieħa Residents group has taken to social media to voice opposition, claiming that “a proposal of this size and kind – including tourist accommodation – will ruin this residential area forever.”

The group feels that introducing tourist facilities in a residential neighbourhood attacks their quality of life. They fear it will lead to increased waste, congestion, sound and light pollution, and strain local infrastructure, particularly electricity and sewage systems.

Gabriel Micallef, the mayor of Mellieħa, has also voiced opposition to the project, likening it to another ongoing development in Mellieħa Heights involving 92 apartments, 17 penthouses, and 171 underground garages on green land.

“The similarity is that, once again, the Lands Authority is giving away another pristine, untouched piece of land at a price of €151,000 for 28 flats and a 26-room guesthouse,” Micallef wrote on social media. “A good deal, right?” he added.

The land in question was previously government-owned but was transferred to 121 Properties by the Lands Authority through a tender. According to a document published by the mayor on his Facebook page, the developer acquired the land for €151,000, with an option to redeem the emphyteusis—a long-term lease contract—within the first 15 years, adjusted for inflation.

Micallef has urged the government to intervene, suggesting the land should be repurposed as a public garden. “Just as funds are found for other things, the government should step in for this land (€151,000) and give it back to the people,” he stated.

Adding their voice to the criticism, the NGO Il-Kollettiv drew parallels with the Mellieħa Heights development, pointing to what they described as a “system of low valuations on large public lands that end up being developed.”

The NGO also highlighted a possible conflict of interest, noting that the project’s architect is the brother of Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo.

It claimed this “might explain the minister’s lack of intervention in favour of the Mellieħa Heights residents.”

Il-Kollettiv also pointed out that several former Labour Party councillors were now employed by the Lands Authority, further fuelling concerns over the agency’s role in land allocations.

Opposition MP Ivan Castillo also weighed in on social media, expressing frustration over the sale of public land. “Another public space sold off, another opportunity to create more public spaces LOST!” he wrote.

Criticising Project Green as a “complete failure,” Castillo said that even though €700 million has been allocated for green initiatives, green public land had been sold off for development instead.

Castillo questioned why the area wasn’t allocated to Mellieħa Local Council for community use and said he was initiating a parliamentary petition.

The developer has declined to comment. Questions directed to the architect and Minister Bartolo also remained unanswered.