Those who believe the public should have been consulted before a reinforced concrete structure was erected in Mellieħa are “talking rubbish”, according to the dean of the faculty of the built environment.

Prof. Alex Torpiano defended the structure, a sundial, saying it was an installation done by students.

He insisted the faculty was not setting a bad example by obtaining only a development notification order – a Mepa permit given for temporary structures or minor modifications. DNOs are a fast-track permit requiring no public consultation, but the speed with which this particular permit was approved – five days – has raised eyebrows in various quarters.

The application for the “erection of [a] concrete art installation functioning as [a] sun dial” was submitted by the faculty on November 25 and approved on December 1”.

“It’s an installation that’s a students’ project. It couldn’t be placed just anywhere because it needs the light to come through it,” Prof. Torpiano said.

The structure, located close to the Red Tower, generated debate on Facebook, with some people defending the project, while others said a visual impact assessment should have been done. When contacted by the Times of Malta, Prof. Torpiano was furious, saying people having no expertise in design and planning should think before being critical.

This has nothing to do with holistic planning. People are talking rubbish

“Do we need to consult people to place a structure on a concrete platform already there? This has nothing to do with holistic planning. People are talking rubbish.

“This is not development. Planning has nothing to do with a structure there,” the professor added. He said the faculty had sought permission from the local council.

He insisted a DNO was enough because the structure would not remain there.

“It usually lasts an academic year. Then it will be removed,” he added.

When pressed for a date by which the structure would be removed and asked who would be responsible for doing so, Prof. Torpiano first skirted the question and eventually admitted there were no plans for its removal.

“Look, we didn’t have plans to remove it. If people object, we will,” he said.

From an environmental perspective, the area in question is already compromised, with a dilapidated building already existing in the vicinity of the cliffs surrounded by a concrete platform.

Yet the site is designated as an area of high landscape value.

It is the structure’s impact on the landscape that generated the debate over consultation on social media.

caroline.muscat@timesofmalta.com