Environment NGO Din L-Art Ħelwa said on Wednesday it welcomed the withdrawal of a development application for a drive-in cinema on fields around the historic Torri Mamo near St Thomas Bay.

The NGO observed that the application had drawn an outpouring of objections and widespread criticism.  

"The proposed drive-in cinema would have led to the unjustified loss and exploitation of agricultural land for purely speculative ends, negatively impacting the contextual rural setting of the 17th century Torri Mamo on the road to St Thomas’ Bay in the process. This unorthodox request would have set a dangerous precedent with devastating effects," it said.  

Din l-Art Helwa called on the Planning Authority to tighten policies regulating rural areas so as to curtail any development that threatens the state and integrity of  rural landscapes.