The Office of the Ombudsman has welcomed a decision by the Planning Authority to revoke a permit for a concrete structure intended to house an ATM and ticket booth along the St Julian’s promenade, as the Commissioner for Environment and Planning recommended over a year ago.

Alan Saliba, the Commissioner for Environment and Planning within the Ombudsman's office, had investigated a complaint regarding the PA's initial acceptance of a Development Notification Order for the building of the ATM and booth.

He found the allegations against the Planning Authority – which had approved the development despite it being three times the size allowed by the Development Notification Order – to be justified.

The Commissioner recommended that the PA invoke Article 80 of the Development Planning Act to revoke the permit in question. This was due to evident errors in the record and the submission of a plan (section) that did not accurately represent the on-site situation. Additionally, the commissioner advised the PA to take enforcement action against constructions that were either below street level or above the existing floor level without permission.

Despite the clear directive from the Office of the Ombudsman, the Planning Authority did not heed the Final Opinion and failed to implement the recommendations set out by the commissioner.

The commissioner informed the prime minister, and the report was subsequently forwarded to parliament in January this year.

"Had the Planning Authority heeded the recommendations from the Office of the Ombudsman promptly, it would have prevented the visual disruption that has been in place for the past year, especially since the recommendation was made prior to the structure's completion," the Ombudsman's office said.