A massive landmark tree uprooted in Balluta Bay on Friday was dead and certified for removal in 2018.  

Concerns were raised on Friday after images of the beloved Araucaria tree on George Borg Olivier Street being uprooted were shared on social media, with some asking why the tree was being “killed”. 

The large tree was being cleared of branches before uprooting on Friday.

The protected tree is on private property called Villino Priuli. Late business mogul Hugo Chetcuti had applied to turn the property into a boutique hotel in 2018. The property is now owned by Virtu Ferries Ltd. 

According to a permit for the tree’s removal, issued by the Environment and Resources Authority in 2018, while the tree was dead, the property owners must plant three trees on the property as compensation. 

The trees will have to be maintained by the site owner and must be evergreen oaks (Quercus ilex), the permit states.  

Matthew Portelli, who appears as the applicant on behalf of Virtu Ferries, obtained planning permission to turn the property into a boutique hotel with downstairs offices last August. 

The owner of a similar property next door - business magnate Marin Hili - has filed an appeal against the decision to grant the Villino Priuli permit.  

Last June, over 1,000 people gathered in Attard to protest the controversial Central Link project, which will involve the uprooting of 549 trees and the transplanting of around 250 others.

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