Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1338076
4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS Gozitan construction magnate Joseph Portelli's daughter gets permit for store JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has ap- proved an application by Chloe Portelli, the daughter of Gozo's construction magnate Joseph Portelli, to build a 20sq.m 'ag- ricultural store' in the vicinity of the Kennuna tower in Na- dur which will enjoy the idyllic views of Malta and Comino. The PA also regularised the construction of a long stretch of highly visible rubble walls on the same site. The case officer had recom- mended the approval of the two separate but related devel- opment applications filed last year, one of which was to sanc- tion the construction of illegal rubble walls, and another to build the store. The case officer insisted that even though the rubble walls around and across the area were built without a permit, they "fit in with the Planning Authority's rural policy guidelines." The Environment and Re- sources Authority had objected to both the sanctioning of the il- legally-constructed rubble walls and the new store. Noting that the wider con- text is still relatively free from development, the ERA warned that the introduction of a new structure and formalization of the site which is also designated within an Area of High Land- scape Sensitivity is of "concern from an environmental point of view". Portelli's application for an "agricultural store" in the area, prompted concern that the il- legal works, denounced by res- idents for weeks before the PA finally intervened to stop the works after their completion, were aimed at laying the ground for even more development. Chloe Portelli – a registered farmer – is actually the hospi- tality manager for the Portelli Group's hotel chain and is di- rectly responsible for the oper- ations and project management of these properties. The site of the rubble walls is a continuous stretch of open terraced land known as 'il-Ge- bel l-Ahmar' on the southern countryside of Nadur, facing the village of Ghajnsielem, and is highly visible from various surrounding areas. The Gozo and Comino Local plan shows the area designated as an Area of High Landscape Sensitivity. The site is currently subject to an active enforcement notice against the construction of rub- ble walls without permit. "In the light of environmentally-incon- siderate works already observed so far, there are significant con- cerns relating to defacement of the affected rural landscape," the ERA warned. Both the construction of the illegal walls and the proposed development of an agricultural store raised "significant envi- ronmental concerns", the ERA said, as these would result in "visual intrusion" and a "signifi- cant cumulative impact" on the surrounding rural environment. The ERA said that if approved the development will end up "breaking a presently undis- turbed skyline" and create a precedent for similar chang- es in the surrounding lands. It insisted that any interventions should have be limited to "sur- gical repairs to limited stretch- es of rubble wall that are in bad shape". The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had also objected to the formalisation of the site. The Superintendence ex- pressed concern that the unbro- ken band of high rubble walls is resulting in a visual intrusion within a significant cultural and rural landscape. Chloe Portelli (inset) is a registered farmer PA has approved an application of Gozitan construction magnate Joseph Portelli's daughter for 20sq.m 'agricultural store' THE new Board of Governors of the Malta Fi- nancial Services Authority (MFSA) has been appointed with Prof. John Mamo being recon- firmed chairman. Former finance minister Edward Scicluna, now governor of the Central Bank of Malta, has been appointed as member ex officio. The other five members on the board are Philip von Brockdorff, head of the University of Malta's Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy, Mark Galea, head of the public finance unit at the National Statistics Office, Charles Zammit, formerly a member of the MFSA's Board of Management and Re- sources, Economist Stephanie Vella, and Car- mel Cascun, a lawyer. These appointments are valid for a period of one year with effect from 4 February 2021. The Board of Governors is responsible for establishing the policies and risk parameters to be pursued by the MFSA. It is also responsible for advising Govern- ment on matters relating to the development and regulation of the financial services sector. New MFSA board of governors apponted