The Planning Authority has ordered Gozo’s construction magnate Joseph Portelli to reduce the volume of rubble deposited on a sensitive rural area in Nadur‘s outskirts and to stick to the terms of his permit.

Last week, Times of Malta flagged a new ‘development’ on a massive rural area just under the historic Kenuna Tower, for which a permit had been issued to Mr Portelli’s children “to restore dry rubble walls”.

On an area the size of seven football grounds, trucks and heavy machinery owned by Mr Portelli’s construction firm, J. Portelli Projects, have been depositing building material on site, as mechanical shovels were shifting ground and rubble from one area to the other.

Readers, who sent pictures of the activity, said they feared a “new idea” by the construction magnate.

Pressed for an explanation, a spokesman for the Planning Authority said that although Mr Portelli was given a permit to fix the rubble walls of the farmland in question, an onsite inspection revealed more.

“Following our inspection, the owner was told to remove an amount of material which is not related to rubble,” the spokesman said.

“The owner was also instructed not to store further rubble on the site and to reduce the volume of the stored material, which will be used for the repair of rubble walls, in view of the sensitivity of the area.”

Times of Malta is informed that through architect Melanie Spiteri, Mr Portelli’s children last year filed identical applications for the restoration of dry rubble walls on the massive plots of farmland.

A Development Notification Order was issued so that dry rubble walls could be restored.

Known mostly as the owner of the controversial Mercury Towers in Paceville, Mr Portelli has recently hit the headlines on a number of controversial projects.

Rapidly becoming one of the island’s leading construction magnates, Mr Portelli is a co-owner of an illegal concrete batching plant being developed in a quarry in Kerċem.

He is also one of the main shareholders of a development company which applied to turn a rural room in the outskirts of Qala into a sprawling villa.

Last May, Times of Malta had also reported that Johann Buttigieg, the executive chairman of the Planning Authority, had declared that he was not taking part in a vote over a controversial application to build a new hotel in Mellieħa, which was co-owned by Mr Portelli.

He cited a conflict of interest “in view of allegations made towards him by the applicant”.

Asked to explain further, Mr Buttigieg had told Times of Malta “there was antagonism against me personally from one of the developers involved in the project”, in a clear reference to Mr Portelli.

Mr Portelli, together with the other developers in the project, categorically denied the claim.

Ivan.Camilleri@timesofmalta.com