The Planning Authority has received a fresh plan to replace an abandoned building with a lavish villa and pool in the heart of a protected valley after previous planning applications were refused three times, including at appeal stage.

A previous proposed Wied Għomor project, set on four tumoli of land, had been marketed online by a real estate firm for a handsome €5 million, boasting of unobstructed sea and valley views.

The applicant, Neville Agius, is now planning to turn the abandoned structure off Triq il-Kaffis into a villa with a swimming pool, an underlying basement and landscaping.

Although the application refers to the structure as a “dwelling”, the planning commission dealing with previous applications had expressed doubts on whether the structure, abandoned at shell form stage, was a “legally established residence”. It was built in 1969.

The structure in question was meant to be a “showhouse” for similar buildings that were being planned for the surrounding area and was meant to serve as a residence.

The council requests that the Planning Authority should take a strong and final decision not to accept applications in precious ODZ land once and for all- Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat

In a strong objection to the application, Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat urged the Planning Authority “to stop further degradation of our natural environment”.

“An isolated site in the middle of a protected natural valley should not be allowed to be developed if the concept of ‘planning’ in Malta is to have any significance and purpose,” he wrote.  He noted that the development on the site was the subject of two refusals by the Planning Authority and another refusal by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT), which confirmed the decision. He quoted the EPRT ruling that the structure “…which was built without permission, consists only of the ruins of an illegal building that was never completed and used”. It also noted that the residential use was not established since the building was left in shell form.

“The existing ruin was never connected to the electricity, water or sewage systems, as can be verified on site, and this not only proves that it was never used but might imply that it was not built legally and, therefore, was not eligible for connection to these services,” the mayor wrote.

He added: “The Swieqi local council objects in principle to this development in an ODZ. The planning regulations in 2023 are different to those in 1969 and, fortunately, the approach to preservation of the natural environment is now more enlightened. In this day and age, we cannot tolerate the intrusion into protected areas by development and this is a principle which should take precedence over any other consideration.

“The council requests that the Planning Authority should take a strong and final decision not to accept applications in precious ODZ land once and for all. We, therefore, ask that this application be refused outright and that enforcement action be taken to remove the buildings existing on site.”

Former St Julian’s mayor and Nationalist MP Albert Buttigieg also objected to the proposal, along with several eNGOs and residents.

Previous applications, in the name of Christian Ganado, had been strongly opposed by the Environment and Resources Authority, which said it would “set an undesirable precedent for proliferation of similar ODZ developments, resulting in cumulative urbanisation of the wider rural environment, ruining the rural character and the overall natural state of the area”.