The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has asked for photomontages of the proposed redevelopment of Prime Minister Robert Abela’s villa in Żejtun, located in an outside development zone.
In September, the Abelas filed a planning application seeking to demolish the existing property and build a new villa.
The SCH said the Abelas’ property lies some 18 metres away from the historic Chapel of St Nicholas, a site with architectural and historic value that is part of the National Inventory of Cultural Property.
The site falls within the Ħal-Ġinwi Site of Archaeological Importance, it added, which could mean that ground disturbances could uncover cultural features that may need to see proposed drawings amended.
The superintendence noted that the existing property does not have any cultural heritage value which would warrant its preservation.
To further assess this application, the superintendence required photomontages of the proposed development from strategic viewpoints that include the chapel and the wider Ħal-Ġinwi complex.
In the interim, heritage NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa objected to the application on the basis that it would formalise the further take-up of ODZ land that is not considered to be “necessary nor justified” and which “threatens the integrity of the rural environment”.
“The attempt to legitimise the reconstruction of a villa cannot be justified. The application is suggestive of alternative uses planned for the site which is not being made clear at this stage,” they said.
The NGO also said an archaeological study of the site should be carried out before any works are approved and ensure that any possible remains that may be discovered are protected and preserved on site appropriately.
In March, Times of Malta reported that the property owned by Robert and Lydia Abela had been rented out to Russian passport applicants without verification that they had ever lived there.
Investigations into the lease of the Żejtun villa to Russian passport buyers showed that two people from Moscow were at one point registered at the villa’s address, however, visits to the site showed it in a state of disrepair.
MaltaToday has also previously reported that Abela acquired the property in 2017 only three months after it was regularised by the Planning Authority and while he was serving as the PA’s chief legal counsel.