A planning tribunal has turned down an appeal by four NGOs over the environmental impact assessment that led the Environment and Resources Authority to give its green light to the proposed Comino project.
The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal threw out all but one of the grounds of appeal put forward by Din l-Art Ħelwa, Moviment Graffitti, Birdlife Malta and Friends of the Earth Malta over the findings of the project’s EIA. It therefore confirms the decision taken by the environment watchdog in July 2022 when it gave the project the green light.
The tribunal only accepted one complaint regarding the proposed removal of the public toilets in Santa Marija Bay. It ordered that one of the conditions imposed by ERA should be amended to include an obligation to have a concrete alternative proposal for these facilities.
The project’s developer, HV Hospitality, welcomed the decision saying it confirmed that the environmental studies carried out on the project were exhaustive and correct. HV Hospitality is a subsidiary of Hili Ventures.
The developers are planning a luxury resort in Comino, with proposed bungalows within the existing footprint. They had previously filed a planning application seeking to redevelop the existing hotel and bungalows in the area of San Niklaw and Santa Marija Bay but its downsized plans for the site will see an overall reduction of 8,244 square metres in the project’s built footprint.
The bungalows will replace an existing development at Santa Marija Bay while the hotel will replace the old hotel at San Niklaw Bay. They will be managed by the Six Senses brand.
The buildings at the bungalow site will be receded from the foreshore, increasing public accessibility, and will be lower in height.
In their appeal, the eNGOs complained that the EIA left out important aspects of the proposed development and that will be detrimental to the environment.
Among others, they claimed that the proposed change in use of the bungalows from a tourism accommodation complex that operates for part of the year to a permanent residential complex sees the potential for a substantial increase in the permanent residential population on the island, significantly increasing the risk.
They complained that the EIA had overlooked alternatives for the proposed development and that the EIA consultant had failed to take into consideration feedback from the public. They said the assessment had also failed to consider the negative effect the development would have on the marine environment.
However, the appeals tribunal shot down their complaints, including one on the removal of trees, saying the report had recommended an extensive landscaping exercise. It noted that of the 380 trees that will be removed, only 60 of them cannot be transplanted elsewhere.
Regarding noise that could disturb birds, the tribunal noted that the EIA found that noise levels could potentially be of no significance to minor significance. The assessment predicts that noise reaching the bird populations from outdoor entertainment activity was of no significance.
Commenting on another complaint regarding the proposed spa facilities, which will be open to the public, the tribunal noted that the spa will be replacing the space presently occupied by tennis courts.
The tribunal, therefore, confirmed ERA’s decision to greenlight the project and threw out the NGO’s complaints on the environmental process.