Din l-Art Ħelwa has appealed a Planning Authority decision to approve a permit for a 10-room guesthouse on the grounds of a rabbit breeding farm.

The Planning Board justified its decision (PA 5783/19) based on a policy that allows for the redevelopment of existing buildings in a rural area.

But Din l-Art Ħelwa said the 'existing' building in this case was a manure clamp approved in 2011 that was never actually built.

The permit for the manure clamp was issued on condition that the land be returned to its natural state if the development was no longer required so as to ensure that the permit was not exploited and used to justify any other forms of development.

Din l-Art Ħelwa is arguing that the Planning Board's decision went against this condition and was completely irregular.

"An unutilised permit for a manure clamp intended purely for agricultural purposes and that was no longer required, cannot and should not have been used to justify the construction of a 10-room guesthouse on this remote rural site," it said.

The guesthouse application was jointly filed by Alfred Schembri, Carmel Schembri, Reuben Schembri, Joseph Schembri, and Catherine Schembri. 

Ludovico Micallef served as the architect. 

Din l-Art Ħelwa also argues that since the new 565-square meter guesthouse is being proposed within the confines of an active farm, and according to the applicant, specifically intended to diversify the farming enterprise, then the proposal qualified as an agrotourism accommodation and should have been processed under the specific relevant policy. This would have limited the development to 200 square meters.

"The Planning Board chose to blatantly ignore this policy by solely considering the application as one for the replacement of an existing building, making way for this gratuitous request. It is appalling to see the ongoing piecemeal destruction of our increasingly limited countryside through such irregular and damaging requests where personal gain always seems to triumph over the common good," the NGO said.

 The appeal was filed by architect Tara Cassar on Din l-Art Ħelwa's behalf.