Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546942
4 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 2 OCTOBER 2026 NEWS 1,000 endemic trees planted as part of Ghammar Hill project AROUND 1,000 endemic trees have been planted as part of a €1 million project to restore Għammar Hill, near the Ta' Pinu Sanctuary in Gozo. The project covers around 8,500 square metres of land and is co-financed through European funds. The tree planting will be followed by around 3,000 en- demic shrubs. The works also included rebuilding around 1,700 cubic metres of rubble walls, regenerating the soil and installing an irrigation system. The project was inaugurat- ed by Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and European Funds Minister Keith Azzopardi Tanti. Camilleri said the project was one of the government's commitments for the first 100 days of the new legislature. The government reached an agreement with the Church to restore the area, which had deteriorated over the years. Azzopardi Tanti said the project showed how Europe- an funds were being used to protect the environment and rural areas in Malta and Gozo. Curia Administrative Sec- retary Anthony Bezzina said the project was the result of cooperation between the government and the Church and would provide additional open space while helping pro- tect Gozo's natural resources. Around 1,000 endemic trees have been planted as part of a €1 million project to restore Għammar Hill, near the Ta' Pinu Sanctuary in Gozo An aerial shot of the project (Photo: DOI) Hili announces suspension of Comino hotel works following EPRT decision HV Hospitality said it acknowl- edges the Environmental and Planning Review Tribunal's de- cision to suspend permits (EP 1472/22) for the development of the Six Senses Comino project pending the outcome of an ap- peal. The permit, approved by the Environment and Resources Au- thority on 7 August, covers the environmental programme for the proposed Six Senses Comino project, including the removal and transplantation of trees and shrubs, as well as demolition and construction methods. HV Hospitality said it did not object to the request for the per- mit's suspension, noting that the only activity requiring a specific timeframe is the transplantation of trees and shrubs. According to the company, the work must be carried out during winter to maximise the plants' chances of survival. That period is expected to fall after the appeal is concluded, meaning no other works are planned before then, the company said. HV Hospitality also said the Six Senses Comino project has been designed as a reduction rather than an expansion of the existing tourism footprint. The completed hotel and bun- galow footprint will be 8,244sq.m smaller than that of the hotel and bungalows it is intended to re- place, the company said. It added the approach is consistent with the local plan's policy of rehabil- itating existing tourism facilities rather than developing new ones. The company said the project has been conceived as a bench- mark for sustainable luxury in Malta and the Mediterranean, in partnership with Six Senses. The permit, approved by the Environment and Resources Authority on 7 August, covers the environmental programme for the proposed Six Senses Comino project, including the removal and transplantation of trees and shrubs, as well as demolition and construction methods