Boulders, pieces of cut rock and other excavation waste have been dumped on protected garigue land overlooking Mġarr ix-Xini bay in Sannat.
The waste, which mostly consists of large rocks and some loose soil and debris, was noticed littering the Gozitan countryside in Ta’ Ċenċ earlier this week.
While large swathes of the Ta’ Ċenċ area is privately owned, the garigue land is protected as a Natura 2000 site and a special area of conservation under the Habitats Directive, as well as a designated special protection area under the Wild Birds Directive.
A nearby excavation project a few metres above the dumping site shows an excavation of the land in progress with similar cut boulders and debris all over the area.
The excavation project, which is being carried out on behalf of VJ Borg enterprises, is to construct a water reservoir and a pump room underneath an existing private road.
My hotel is rustic and inspired by nature, I have nothing to gain from leaving rubble out in the countryside
Site owner Victor Borg told Times of Malta that the excavation material was being temporarily stored in a car park area and due to the large nature of the boulders, there was a possibility that some had spilled over to the nearby garigue.
Mr Borg, who owns the Ta Ċenċ hotel, said the rocks were being kept to pave over the finished structure with the natural stone, in keeping with conditions set by the permit to not leave a visible concrete finish on the structure. Any leftover materials would be kept and used to build or repair rubble walls with the same rock from the area.
He told Times of Malta that the excavation waste would remain in place for three weeks at most and he would be ensuring it remained within the boundaries of the car park.
“If I wanted to I could close up Ta Ċenċ tomorrow and no one would be able to enjoy it. But I am Gozitan and I want everyone to enjoy what we have,” Mr Borg said.
“I sold everything I had to buy up Ta Ċenċ, nobody loves it as much as I do. My hotel is rustic and inspired by nature, I have nothing to gain from leaving rubble out in the countryside.”
The Planning Commission’s case officer had recommended the water reservoir project for refusal, saying it was not considered to be a “justified and legitimate development” within a Natura 2000 site. The report also concluded that the proposal was not in line with several objectives of the Strategic Plan for Environment and Development.
In their submissions, the Environmental Resources Authority also raised concerns that the proposed functions and justification of the development were unclear and that the development may have “significant impacts on the integrity of the Natura 2000 site. The ERA said the excavation’s approval would “set a precedent for pressures to construct similar developments within similar Natura 2000 sites”.
“Such pressures would lead to a cumulative impact on Natura 2000 sites which is not considered favourably from an environmental point of view,” the submission reads.
Mr Borg has long proposed development in the area, the most recent being a 15-villa complex as well as the development of a ‘heritage park’.