Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1365202
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 APRIL 2021 NEWS JAMES DEBONO AN attempt by Melvin Theu- ma – the State witness against alleged mastermind Yorgen Fenech in the Daph- ne Caruana Galizia murder – to trans- form an agriculture store into a dwelling has hit a snag. The Planning Authori- ty case officer assessing the proposal has concluded that the proposal, a site on Triq il-Kuċċard in Ħal Safi, is "un- acceptable". A final decision on the development pro- posed by Theuma is due on 14 May. In November 2016 Theuma was award- ed a permit from the Planning Authority's planning commission, then chaired by architect Elizabeth Ellul, to build an agricultural store instead of the smaller rural structures on the site. On that occasion the board chose to ignore the neg- ative recommendation by the case officer to issue the permit. Now the PA's case officer said the proposed conversion of ag- ricultural rooms into a residen- tial building, located completely outside the development zone, is not as "a justified and legiti- mate development outside the development zone, and is there- fore unacceptable in principle". The Environment and Re- sources Authority objected to the change of use from agricul- tural rooms into a residence, with the ERA noting that "the request for an agricultural store was simply a stepping stone so as to obtain a permit for a dwell- ing" and that "this piecemeal method has now become the preferred modus operandi". The ERA used this case to denounce what is becoming a common practice with appli- cants like Theuma, starting with a "development" under the pre- text of agriculture to then scale it up into a residence. "Once this initial request is granted, it sets the ball rolling for fur- ther extensions, change of use and other ancillary facilities, each application being granted on the basis that the site is now committed." ERA's predecessor – the En- vironment Protection Direc- torate – had already expressed doubts on the genuineness of his 2016 application. It had noted that "the new building, which is proposed on two floors (store at basement and anoth- er at ground floor), includes a staircase, a WC, a restroom and multiple apertures […] it is not akin to a typical agricultur- al store/s which normally seeks to maximize internal storage space." The Agricultural Advisory Committee had also questioned the agricultural motive behind the application since Theu- ma, and then a taxi driver was not even registered as a farmer when he submitted the appli- cation. It was only in July 2016 that Theuma was registered as a farmer with the permit being issued after he submitted "ev- idence of agricultural activity" – evidence consisting of photos "showing the tools owned by the applicant used for the current agricultural activity". In September 2019, Theuma was also granted a permit to de- velop six animal enclosures for goats, pheasants, chickens, rab- bits and Maltese weasels. The application was deemed to be in line with the rural policy which identifies the keeping of animals intended for research, educational, sport, leisure and exhibition purposes, as one of the acceptable rural activities outside development zones, provided that the animal enclo- sures are lightweight, visually permeable and of a high-quality rural design. Middleman's bid for Safi villa set to be rejected Melvin Theuma