Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542709
4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 JANUARY 2026 charged with involuntarily damag- tained. has taken place and CCTV footage JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt NEWS Mizzi Estates resubmits plans to rebuild hotel in Natura 2000 site in Mellieha MIZZI Estates have once again submitted a planning application to rebuild a long-derelict hotel within a Natura 2000 site in Mell- ieħa, reviving a controversial pro- ject that has repeatedly run into opposition from environmental authorities, heritage bodies and local residents. The latest application propos- es the demolition of the exist- ing hotel ruins, originally ap- proved under a separate permit (PB/03038/87), and their recon- struction strictly in line with the parameters of that permit. According to the application, the rebuilt hotel would retain the same number of floors, gross floor area, number of rooms, footprint and external volume as the struc- ture approved and partially built in the 1980s. A similar application present- ed in 2022 was withdrawn after a Planning Authority case of- ficer recommended its refusal. In September, the Authority again advised rejecting Mizzi Estates' earlier outline proposal for the redevelopment of the derelict Festaval Hotel, citing the absence of key traffic and environmental studies that prevented a full as- sessment of the project. The hotel ruins occupy a site of around 9,600 square metres with- in a Natura 2000 area of ecologi- cal importance and lie in the buff- er zone of the Grade 1 scheduled Red Tower, as well as nearby Sec- ond World War defence posts. The Superintendence of Cul- tural Heritage had objected to the hotel's reconstruction, calling instead for the demolition of the ruins and the rehabilitation of the ridge to restore the natural land- scape. Moreover, environmental NGOs, including BirdLife Malta, have also lodged objections. In its submission, BirdLife Mal- ta warned that redevelopment would negatively impact the nearby Foresta 2000 project — a long-term initiative launched in 2003 by BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa and the government to establish a Mediterranean forest and wildlife refuge. The NGO argued that a rebuilt hotel would erode the area's "remoteness, peace and tranquillity", under- mining its recreational and eco- logical value. Mizzi Estates, part of the Mizzi Organisation, have argued that the project would simply replace dangerous, long-abandoned ruins with a modernised hotel while re- specting the limits of the original permit, which predates both Nat- ura 2000 designation and Malta's modern planning framework. However, the Planning Author- ity's case officer stressed that the proposal could not be properly assessed without essential doc- umentation. Missing submis- sions included a traffic scoping statement, a tourism compliance certificate from the Malta Tour- ism Authority, and a determi- nation by the Environment and Resources Authority on whether an Environmental Impact Assess- ment was required. "The proposal lacks the nec- essary information to enable complete assessment in terms of transport, land use and envi- ronmental impacts, which are an integral part in determining the principle being assessed," the re- port concluded. The Mellieħa local council went a step further, insisting that the project should be rejected out- right for breaching policies pro- tecting Natura 2000 sites, land- scapes and scheduled heritage assets such as the Red Tower. In a representation authored by architect Carmel Cacopardo, the council argued that refusal should be grounded in the Strate- gic Plan for the Environment and Development, rather than proce- dural shortcomings alone. The hotel, designed by archi- tect Richard England, was nev- er completed or opened due to early structural problems. The 31-apartment complex has since deteriorated into a graffiti-cov- ered ruin, overgrown by vege- tation and described by the case officer as "a destination for alter- native tourists that seek modern- ist constructions taken over by nature." Mizzi Estates have pursued re- development of the site for dec- ades, with proposals ranging from a spa and rehabilitation centre to a villa masterplan. The company has also faced enforcement action for leaving the site derelict, an order that re- mains under appeal. In the most recent proceedings, the Planning Authority's recom- mended refusal was ultimately based on the applicant's failure to submit required studies within statutory timeframes. The appli- cation was subsequently with- drawn. In 2018 the Planning Authority had issued an enforcement notice against the owners stating that the Abandoned building was left in a derelict state causing Injury to amenity. The hotel in it's current form built in the 1980s Avviż ta' Intenzjoni Id-Diretturi ta' Palace Landscaping Limited jiddikjaraw l- intenzjoni tagħhom li l-kumpanija tirreġistra għal Liċenzja ta' Aġenzija tal-Impjiegi skont L.N. 270 tal-2023 – L-Att dwar ir- Relazzjonijiet Industrijali u tal-Impjiegi (Kap. 452), Regolamenti dwar l-Aġenziji tal-Impjiegi, 2023. L-attivitajiet proposti tal-aġenzija huma dawn: 1. Servizzi ta' xogħol temporanju jinvolvu l-provvista ta' ħaddiema lil parti terzi. 2. Il-parti terza tassenja kompiti lill-ħaddiema temporanji. 3. Servizzi ta' outsourcing jinvolvu l-provvista ta' ħaddiema lil parti terzi. 4. L-aġenzija tal-outsourcing, inklużi kuntratturi u sottokuntratturi, tissorvelja, tidderieġi u tikkontrolla l- ħaddiema. Indirizz UMiċjali Reġistrat: 22, Europa Centre, Triq John Lopez, Floriana, FRN 1400 Numru ta' Reġistrazzjoni tal-Kumpanija: C 113172