Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1161926
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 SEPTEMBER 2019 JAMES DEBONO IT is a textbook case of how goalposts are moved in Malta's planning process: the owners of a newly-approved 155sq.m dwelling in the Dingli hamlet of Ta' Sabbat, now want a permit for a basement and first-floor level, and swimming pool. It is the owners' fifth applica- tion in a 40-year-old saga that started with the approval of a farmhouse in 1979, of which only its foundations had been developed. That permit was renewed in 1988, but a new application with different plans was refused by the then-PAPB in January 1992. The refusal was twice confirmed by parliament's Se- lect Committee in 1992 and 1993. By this time the original permit had expired. The PA also rejected an ap- plication presented in 1995 to construct a one-storey farm- house, also confirmed on ap- peal because the 1979 permit had expired. By then, new poli- cies had come in place to pro- tect rural land from the urban sprawl. Then in 2010, another appli- cation was presented, request- ing a permit for a pool. But this was refused on the grounds that the existing foundations could not be considered as a commit- ment of an existing building, and because the site did not qualify for development on un- committed land. Indeed, the local plan for the area only allows rehabilitation, development and re-develop- ment of existing dwellings in rural hamlets that are outside the building zones (ODZ). The case officer on the recent application that approved a 155sq.m dwelling, insisted that the foundation works could not be considered as a commit- ment of an 'existing building' that could qualify for redevel- opment. The case officer also insisted that the proposal was in conflict with the Rural Policy and Design Guidance. Additionally, the Environ- ment and Resources Author- ity objected to the application, warning that the development would undermine the rural characteristics of the area and set a precedent for more devel- opment. But in March 2019 the PA board, chaired by architect Elizabeth Ellul, approved the permit after taking note of the original 1979 permit and the fact that the development was located in a rural hamlet. Then in June, owner and part-time farmer Victor Borg, presented a new application, now request- ing a basement, a first floor and a pool, which still has to be as- sessed by the PA. NEWS Another case of how the Planning Authority's magic wand can turn expired permits into countryside villas Expired permit from 1979 could get two-storey Dingli villa (and pool) JAMES DEBONO THE Qala local council is objecting to an application by leading Gozitan devel- oper and realtor Paul Sci- cluna, the owner of Scicluna Enterprises, to build a small "tool shed" in Hondoq ir- Rummien, under the pre- text of rebuilding a 20sq.m room of which only a pile of rubble is left. The councillors fear this would only be the beginning of a new planning saga lead- ing to bigger developments. The application foresees the "relocation of a previ- ously existing" room by a few metres. "Qala is constantly being bombarded by speculative planning applications which often serve as a pretext for future applications not just on the site but also to secure access to it and on similar structures in its vicinity," Qala mayor Paul Buttigieg told MaltaToday. Scicluna owns nearly 20,000sq.m of land at Hon- doq ir-Rummien, on which the tool shed is being pro- posed. Indeed, the land cannot be developed ex- cept through piecemeal ap- plications involving small rural structures which may qualify for redevelopment under the 2014 rural policy. Residents fear that once a permit is issued for a minor development, this may open the gates to future additions as happened in the past on other sites. During public consul- tations on the new local plans in 2013, Scicluna had proposed the inclusion of another site in Qala at il- Kuncizzjoni for inclusion in the development zones. The proposal consisted of a luxury retirement complex on the road to Hondoq ir- Rummien, on two-hectare area. The site enjoys pano- ramic views of Comino. The local council had presented a petition against this pro- posal. After stopping this pro- ject, the Qala council has consistently objected to coastal applications. In 2018 it successfully opposed a bid to turn a coastal room into a souvenir shop, concerned as it was at piecemeal appli- cations which first saw the owner requesting a permit for an agricultural store. The council is also ob- jecting to an application to reconstruct a countryside ruin in Tal-Muxi in Qala as a villa, on which a final deci- sion is expected on 1 Octo- ber. Hondoq 'tool shed' has Qala councillors worried