The Qala local council has formally objected to an application by developer Joseph Portelli for the sanctioning of illegal works in a part of the locality that is outside the development zone.
Lovin Malta has in the past weeks reported on the illegal works being undertaken by the megadeveloper, several of which have been flagged by activist group Moviment Graffitti.
The group has accused the Planning Authority of closing an eye to Portelli’s wrongdoing, who on his part, has continued the construction of his apartment block with an accompanying pool area and other facilities.
No permit has been obtained for the construction of the pool and Portelli has now applied to have the works sanctioned by the PA.
The local council has now said it was objecting to the application while an appeal process was still ongoing.
“As a council we expect there to be support from the authorities who should be putting a stop to work while it is still under appeal. The council will be persisting with its flight and will not be deterred in stopping these massive projects that are destroying our locality,” Qala mayor Paul Buttigieg said.
The 64 flat-project has been opposed by the Qala Local Council and two environmental NGOs, Moviment Graffitti and Din L-Art Helwa, for which they filed an appeal.
An Environmental Impact Assessment was never carried out for the proposed development prior to issuing the permit, even though the site exceeds 30,000 sqm of land.
The Environment and Planning tribunal had also rejected the organisations’ and residents’ requests to suspend the works until the appeal hearing is decided.
The disputed project is part of an entire saga involving Carravan Company Limited, which has been serving as a medium in the transfer and reselling of land. The company was set up back in 2017, making €1.5 million from last May’s sales alone.
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