A planning application has been submitted for a residence, retail outlet, guest rooms and other commercial spaces to be added to a massive Bidnija ‘sheep farm’ that had raised objections when first approved for construction in a previously untouched valley.

The application vindicates those who had drawn attention to the place as looking more like a hotel or agri-tourism facility than a sheep farm.

The huge facility covers an area of 3,200 square metres in the middle of Bidnija’s Wied tal-Ħżejjen.

It was given the green light in February 2019 by the Planning Authority’s subcommittee which deals with ODZ developments, chaired at the time by Elizabeth Ellul.

The building rises three storeys high in a previously untouched and secluded Bidnija valley. PHOTO: CHRIS SANT FOURNIER

The permit for PA application 07946/18 was granted despite objections received from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

However, the sheep farm was recommended for approval by the case officer responsible for the application because it was in line with rural policy.

The authority had expressed “considerable” concerns about its location in an untouched valley. It had also pointed to the size of the project and the fact that it was out of context with its surroundings.

By September 2019, the large edifice was already being constructed, with farmers in the area remarking that it “resembles more a luxury villa than a farm” and environmentalists saying it would change the secluded landscape forever.

The name behind the original application, registered sheep farmer Jason Vella, is nowhere to be seen on the new proposal.

The original application could not have been approved had the applicant not been a registered farmer.

You can see how this farm has slowly begun to convert rooms into non-productive areas- Source in farming industry

The latest application, 5895/22, was filed by Peter Bernard Carbonaro on behalf of Bidnija Farming Enterprise Ltd.

This company was incorporated on May 22 this year, just one week before the plans were submitted.

The architect in charge is Konrad Bezzina, who is listed as a company director and shareholder.

'Tasting and educational experiences'

The application proposes introducing a visitor’s area for “tasting and educational experiences”, a retail outlet, a “farmer’s residence”, parking spaces and animal enclosures.

There would also be an additional field to increase the overall agricultural land surrounding the property, pushing the total footprint up to 5,000 square metres.

According to the submitted plans, the lower groundfloor would consist of a pen for 57 adult sheep, a lambing bay, pens for chickens and rabbits, a milking parlour and dairy production room as well as several stores for fodder.

The upper groundfloor plans indicate space for use of a kitchen, a retail outlet, a farmer’s residence, an educational/therapeutic training area as well as an exhibition and tasting area.

The proposed intermediate level includes two guest rooms and a breakfast/dining area.

The application also includes solar panels, which already cover much of the roof, and three steel-framed skylights, which have already been installed. Site photos show the building highly finished with polished limestone paving and archways fitted with glass windows, with a large timber gate installed at the entryway.

Sources familiar with the farming industry told Times of Malta that, though planning policies do allow a farmer to have a residence within the farm, the development was already beginning to shift from its original purpose.

“You can see how this farm has slowly begun to convert rooms into non-productive areas, while the proposed residence would take up an area that was approved for sheep pens,” they said.

Fresh to local agri-business, the Bidnija Farming Estate was listed as an exhibitor at the Agriculture Ministry’s Agrifair last May.

It has launched a Facebook page and barren website that simply states “coming soon”.