Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/401761
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2014 News JAMES DEBONO GEORGE Said, owner of La Grotta Discotheque in Xlendi, has applied to regularise planning irregularities in the protected Lunzjata valley. The application presented on 24 September, which foresees the regularisation of a pizzeria, vari- ous terraces and stairs, toilets, stores and bars is in its initial stages and has not yet been vali- dated by the Malta Environment and Planning Authorit y. The Environment and Planning Act forbids MEPA from sanc- tioning any development carried out on scheduled sites like Wied il-Lunzjata where La Grotta is lo- cated. But the consultation document "For an efficient planning system" issued in April 2014 proposes the deletion of the sixth sched- ule, which will be replaced by the imposition of daily fines. In the next months MEPA is expected to inform the developers through a "screening letter" whether the application conforms to existing policies. In August MEPA refused to sanction some of the illegalities through a Development Notifica- tion Order. The Planning Authorit y insisted that the application did not ad- dress all the illegalities found on the site of the popular disco. Moreover, while the developers had resorted to the fast-track de- velopment notification (DNO) procedure to sanction "internal alterations", MEPA insisted that the law regulating DNOs does not apply to extensions to non- residential buildings located in "scheduled " areas. The law stipu- lates that such extensions require a full planning application. DNO permits are usually issued for minor developments in resi- dential areas or for temporary structures. The Grotta disco, which is subject to two pending enforcement or- ders dating back to 1999 and 1997, is located in a scheduled Area of High Landscape Value. The Lunzjata valley where the disco is located is scheduled and therefore protected against de- velopment. Moreover according to Schedule 6 of the Development and Planning Act MEPA cannot regularise any development on scheduled sites. An enforcement order issued in 1997 refers to "additions and al- terations" made without a permit. The enforcement order issued in 1999 refers to various illegal struc- tures including stores, bars, a piz- zeria, terraces, steps and rooms found between the entrance and the protected valley along the en- tire length of the complex. Part of the present complex is cov- ered by a permit issued in 1986. In 1994 MEPA approved an appli- cation to replace a deteriorated wooden gazebo on top of the ex- isting dance f loor with a bigger gazebo, over a larger dance f loor and to create another covered dance f loor to cater for winter and summer seasons. No further per- mits were issued by the Planning Authorit y. MEPA is still awaiting the out- come of the Appeals Tribunal before deciding what action to take against La Grotta nightclub, which has been served with en- forcement notices since 1994. The La Grotta website describes the venue as one of the " best (ven- ues) in the world ". "The outdoor dance f loor gives you an idea as to why this club is so revered in local and international circles, as it gives you an unspoilt and magical view of a winding val- ley resplendent with tall bamboo plants sprouting upward all the way down to the foot of the hills that surround the area," according to La Grotta's website. 24 La Grotta owners apply to sanction illegalities La Grotta discotheque in Xlendi