Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543912
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 MARCH 2026 Expired Kalkara valley development permit resurrected through legal notice A development permit that expired in 2023 after the developer failed to start works has been revived by a legal notice extending the validity of thousands of older planning permits A controversial development permit for a large residential project in Kalkara valley has been revived through a legal notice. This effectively removes the need for a pending renewal ap- plication that had still not been determined. In a reply to questions, the Planning Authority confirmed that permit PA/7034/17 re- mains valid after its validity was extended through the Exten- sion of the Validity of Devel- opment Permits (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 (SL 552.33). The legal notice effectively extended the validity of thou- sands of permits which expired in 2023. "As this permission remains valid until 31 December 2026, the developer is entitled to uti- lise it to commence works on site," the authority said. However, the authority clari- fied that works cannot yet start because the developer has not submitted the required com- mencement notice, which must be filed before construction be- gins. The permit had expired in 2023 The permit in question is a 2018 renewal of an earlier de- velopment permit originally approved in 2012. Under nor- mal planning rules, develop- ment permits remain valid for five years, meaning the 2018 permit expired in 2023 after the developer failed to submit a commencement notice and be- gin works. Because of this lapse, the de- veloper had already submitted a renewal application in 2022 (PA/4615/22) seeking to extend the permit. That application re- mains pending. In July 2023, the Planning Board ruled that the appli- cation could not be treated as a straightforward renew- al and would instead need to be assessed in light of newer planning policies introduced after the original permit was approved in 2012. This includ- ed the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED). However, the latest legal no- tice extending the lifespan of older permits has effectively resurrected the expired permit, meaning the developer can rely on the 2018 authorisation in- stead of awaiting a decision on the renewal request. Works halted after mayor's intervention Questions about the permit's status emerged earlier this month when works on the site were halted following the in- tervention of Kalkara mayor Wayne Aquilina. Residents had reported seeing a bobcat operating on the site, prompting Aquilina to visit the area together with officials from the Planning Authority and the Environment and Re- sources Authority. According to the developers' architect, the activity underway at the time involved rock test- ing. The development envisages the construction of 88 apart- ments and 93 garages on around 6,200 square metres of open land along the valley slope. Long-running proposal The project traces its origins back to an outline permit is- sued in 2008, followed by a full development permit approved in 2012 under application PA 3824/07. This permit was later renewed in 2018 under applica- tion PA/7034/17. The valley has long been a fo- cus of environmental activism. In 2003, the site became the focus of non-violent direct ac- tion by the Save Kalkara Valley Front led by Mark Montebello, which opposed plans to retain the valley within development zones. While earlier planning deci- sions limited development to part of the valley, the section that remains within the devel- opment boundary is still con- sidered ecologically sensitive, hosting a variety of trees, shrubs and other flora and fauna. Legal notice extends thousands of permits The revival of the Kalkara permit stems from Legal Notice 66 of 2025, which once again extended the validity of thou- sands of development permits across Malta. The extension followed dis- cussions with the Kamra tal-Periti, which warned that the previous extension frame- work had created anomalies that could cause ongoing pro- jects to lapse. Under the new regulations, permits that expired between 1 January 2023 and 9 November 2023 were extended to 31 De- cember 2026. The measure builds on a se- ries of permit extensions first introduced in 2020 in response to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and sub- sequent reforms affecting the JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt