Tribunal removes possibility of new application for 'Bidnija sheep farm'
Appeal by Graffitti, Din l-Art Ħelwa upheld
The Graffitti pressure group has welcomed a decision by the Planning Tribunal confirming the revocation of a Planning Authority permit for a 'sheep farm' in Bidnija.
Graffitti and environment NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa had filed the appeal in relation to a decision by the Planning Authority which had revoked the permit but ordered the application to be reprocessed.
The NGOs argued that once the Planning Authority had revoked the permit, it could not order the application to be reprocessed and revived. They also insisted that additional reasons for revocation should be included - particularly the omission of the site’s scheduled status from the relevant forms. This omission, they argued, resulted in the public not being adequately informed about the sensitive nature of the site and the special policies applicable to such scheduled sites.
The Tribunal agreed with the appellant NGOs and ruled that the permit should be definitively revoked for the reasons outlined in the appeal, Graffitti said.
It pointed out that the sham sheep farm was a massive multi-storey building with reception areas and a swimming pool in the pristine Bidnija Valley, an entirely rural Outside Development Zone (ODZ) featuring ecologically important freshwater habitats.
Long controversy
The original permit application had been given the green light in February 2019 by the PA’s commission which deals with applications outside the development zone (ODZ), chaired at the time by Elizabeth Ellul.
The permit was granted despite objections from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
However, the sheep farm was recommended for approval by the case officer responsible for the application because it was in line with rural policy.
ERA had expressed “considerable” concern over its location in an untouched valley. It also pointed to the size of the project and the fact that it was out of context with its surroundings.
By September 2019, the large building was already being constructed, with farmers in the area remarking that it “resembles more a luxury villa than a farm”.
In January 2023, planning lawyer Claire Bonello, on behalf of various non-governmental organisations and a list of individuals, submitted a request for the revocation of the permit.
The board members unanimously approved the revocation in April 2024, saying that the applicant had to file a fresh application which would be considered from scratch.
The possibility of a fresh application has now been eliminated.