Prime Minister Robert Abela on Monday denied allegations that his government was under the influence of the developers of the Villa Rosa project and that investors were involved in the drafting of local plans.

Times of Malta revealed on Sunday that a six-point proposal to change the local plan for Villa Rosa was almost identical to suggestions made by the St George's Bay project’s developers.

The proposed changes were published by the Planning Authority last week as part of the first phase of a public consultation on the redevelopment of the site, which includes the construction of hotels and high-rise buildings.

Among others, Moviment Graffitti's Andre Callus claimed the government “literally took a copy and paste of what [the developer] dictated to them. They are quite literally in his pocket, and they’re not even trying to hide it".

Fielding questions from Times of Malta on Monday, Abela said: “I categorically deny this. This goes for me and all of my Cabinet”.

He added that he and his ministers met with developers and investors: “We meet with every developer or investor in this country - those who come from abroad and local developers”.

Abela said attracting investment was one of the government’s key responsibilities to improve the quality of life in Malta.

The Villa Rosa project, developed by AC Group and designed by Dutch architecture firm UNStudio, involves a major redevelopment of St George’s Bay.

According to Abela, Cabinet was presented with a proposal drafted by the project’s developers.

“A person investing a third of a billion euro will meet the government of the day - the Prime Minister and members of Cabinet to explain their project,” he said. However, he categorically denied any involvement by developers in drafting local plans.

Abela defended his government's approach, saying that the Villa Rosa local plan review was not the first of its kind. He pointed out that his government made amendments to other local plans, including areas where development was restricted.

He cited the case of Ħondoq ir-Rummien, where he said the government had eliminated the possibility of development and Marsascala and Bluebel as examples of other local plan amendments.

The Prime Minister questioned whether it was high time for a review of the local plans, given that they had not been revised in 20 years.

He acknowledged that the issue would inevitably spark debate: “Everyone will interpret this revision in their way".