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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2015 4 News JAMES DEBONO THE Malta Environment and Planning Authority could not trace planning permits for a number of changes made to Dom Mintoff's Delimara villa between 1978 and 1994. The villa, located opposite the power station, was recently sold for 'just' €250,000 to a 33-year-old Fgura businessman Silvio Cassar who will now be adding a swim- ming pool and a deck to the La- bour premier's summer residence, as well as regularize a number of rooms built at the back of the building without a permit before 1994. Mintoff's summer hideout is a historical landmark where the late prime minister entertained his posse of personal friends, who would accompany him on his daily dip down at St Peter's Pool, but also foreign dignitaries like Lord Mountbatten in 1973 at the height of Mintoff's stand-off with Great Britain. The house would eventually 'earn' the Mintoff family €838,000 in damages in 2004, caused by the erection of the Delimara power station virtually on the doorstep of l-Gharix. The permit for Cassar's altera- tions to l-Gharix was approved last week. The villa in its entirety is consid- ered legal as it dates back to before 1978, the cut-off date in a policy on rural development approved last year. But the case officer's report re- veals that a number of accretions on the ground and first floors were carried out without a permit. These included a number of rooms at the back of the building. Architect Charles Buhagiar – the Labour MP – was advised by MEPA to include the sanctioning of these illegalities in the application. During the processing of the ap- plication, MEPA's Environment Protection Directorate also ob- jected to the new swimming pool and deck which would encroach on a level 3 'area of ecological im- portance' and an 'area of high land- scape value'. But the Planning Directorate in- sisted that the proposal conformed to the existing policy which allows 75 sq.m pools within the bound- ary of existing buildings, as long as these were not located in level 1 and level 2 'areas of ecological im- portance'. The proposal for the redevelop- ment of Mintoff's villa mainly con- sisted in the demolition of internal walls and rooms, the creation of new openings, the replacement of existing roofs and the demolition of existing stairwells. No objection was expressed by MEPA's Cultur- al Heritage Panel to any of these works. The historical importance of the building as the abode of the former Prime Minister was never considered by MEPA when assess- ing the permit, which effectively puts this dwelling in the real estate market. The existing two-storey build- ing covers a 260 sq.m footprint and has a 450 sq.m floor-space. The proposed alterations did not change the footprint or floor-space of the buildings. Cassar, who bought l-Gharix from Mintoff's daughters Yana Mintoff Bland and Anne McKenna, was tight-lipped when contacted by MaltaToday last year. When asked about his plans for the building, Cassar replied that it is "too early" to make any declaration. Delimara 'compensation' In the meantime Yana Mintoff has also presented an application to redevelop a farm building in the Xrobb l-Ghagin park, on the site of the former Deutsche Welle station in Delimara, into a residence. Part of the building served as a kennel. The current building occupies a 100 sq.m footprint. The new ap- plication foresees a building with a floor-space of 182 sq.m instead of the current 167 sq.m. Yana Mintoff is being repre- sented by XYZ architects, a firm owned by Labour Party president Daniel Jose Micallef. Curiously, MEPA had already approved the construction of a building with a floor-space of 225 sq.m in this property in 2002. The case officer's report reveals that the permit application was pre- sented in the context of an "out of court settlement" with regards to Dom Mintoff's dispute with government on the location of the power station. The permit expired after five years and no works were ever con- ducted. MEPA's Natural Heritage Panel is now insisting that Mintoff's daughter presents proof that the building was previously used as a residence. This is because the present policy regulating ODZ (outside development zones) de- velopment makes it clear that MEPA can only approve the trans- formation of farm buildings into villas if these had been previously used as dwellings. It is unclear whether the building was ever used as such. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt WIN a copy of the newly launched book Wild Flowers of the Maltese Island To win a copy of this unique book tick the right answers: Tick the names of Maltese wild plants? ❒ Maltese fleabane ❒ Sulla ❒ Giant Fennel ❒ Frog Orchid ❒ King protea Send your answers by 23 October to: MediaToday, WIN A BOOK FROM BDL Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann By Edwin Lanfranco & Guido Bonett published by BDL No permits found for alterations on Dom Mintoff's Delimara villa Former prime minister built rooms on ground and first floors without planning permits Dom Mintoff's l-Gharix, his summer hideout at Delimara The Delimara power station looming over l-Gharix… it earned the Mintoffs over €800,000 in compensation