Just over half of all complaints filed with the Planning Authority alleging illegal development in 2020 were confirmed as true, figures released by the PA on Monday revealed.

Of the 3,313 claims of illegality filed that year, the PA confirmed that illegal development was being carried out in 1,822 cases.

In 819 of those cases – 45 per cent of the total -  those responsible removed the illegalities before any further action was taken.

In a further 145 cases, the PA has issued enforcement notices against the contravener.

In the remaining 858 cases, contraveners applied to sanction the illegalities.

Sanctioning is the process of acquiring retrospective planning permission for illegal development, by paying a fine.

The PA said that several sites that were being used for illegal purposes in Outside Development Zone areas have been cleared in the past weeks following enforcement by enforcement officers.

Sites ranged from areas being used to dump scrap vehicles, others that were being used to store trucks and boats, and others where rooms had been built without development permits.

In its statement, the PA provided details of the ODZ cases which it said were now closed following intervention by officers from the authority’s Compliance and Enforcement Directorate.

Sites in ODZ at:

  • Triq il-Wardija, St Paul’s Bay
  • Sqaq Taċ-Ċawla and Triq il-Ġarġir, limits of Rabat (Malta)
  • Corner of Triq ix-Xgħajra/Triq Agatha Barbara in Żabbar
  • Triq Borġ Għarib, limits of Għajnsielem

which were being used for the illegal dumping of scrapped vehicles, containers, construction waste, and the storing trucks, commercial vehicles and boats without the necessary permissions, were all cleared out and the sites reinstated to their original use.

PA officers also forced site owners in several other ODZ sites in Malta and Gozo to demolish rooms built illegally.

These sites were at:

  • Triq il-Mellieħa, Mellieħa
  • Triq ta’ Ħal Farruġ, Luqa
  • Triq id-Deheb Fin, limits of Qormi
  • Tax-Xieref in Għaxaq
  • Triq ta’ Ħamet and Triq il-Kav. Lorenzo Zammit Haber, Xewkija
  • Triq Ġużeppi Grech in Xagħra

PA compliance and enforcement officers also obliged a contravener who built a long rubble wall in the Għajnsielem countryside in an unconventional manner to dismantle and rebuild it using the traditional methodology.

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