Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/916779
maltatoday SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 6 News PA could refuse Fenech Adami's garden plans (and menagerie) MATTHEW VELLA BEPPE Fenech Adami may have a problem. In 2016, the Nationalist MP was taken to task over irregulari- ties at his Gharghur villa – once a two-storey terraced house that eventually grew to include a swimming pool in land outside development zones. In July 2017, the former PN deputy leader requested planning approval to sanction the land- scaping he carried out at the back of his villa, which was not in line with original plans. But the Planning Authority's planning directorate is recom- mending that his request – which includes a request to permit a coop of emus, peacocks and ducks – cannot be approved. In an embarrassing turn of events for Fenech Adami, who has always insisted on the legal- ity of his development, the PA's case officer said that a passage- way that runs across his field be- hind his dwelling resulted in the take-up of agricultural land and "unjustified formalisation of the field". That suggests the MP turned the agricultural lot behind his house into his garden, against the rules laid out for rural devel- opment in the Strategic Plan for Environment and Development, which serve to protect sensitive landscapes. Additionally, Fenech Adami's proposal did not provide ad- equate details on the animal en- closures he currently has on site, which might have to be equipped with a different type of enclosure. The PA's agricultural advisory committee said the MP has a coop at the back and plans to build an aviary: the coop has nothing short of seven hens, four cocks, nine guinea fowl, a turkey, two emus, eight ducks and two pea- cocks, while the aviary is planned to hold zebra finches, Java spar- rows, canaries and budgies. In his request, Fenech Adami is seeking to sanction the landscap- ing he carried out at the back of house, which resulted in a larger swimming pool and shape than originally allowed in a first per- mit; as well as passageway run- ning across the field at the back of the house. "The sanctioning of the 2.6m- wide passageways running across the field is the major concern of this application," the case of- ficer wrote – "given that this has lead [sic] to the take-up [of] ag- ricultural land and unjustified formalisation of the field with a rural area." Fenech Adami's house lies with- in development zones, except for his swimming pool and the field behind his house, which lie out- side development zones (ODZ). The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) pointed out that Fenech Adami had turned the agricultural lot behind his house, into a "formal garden" with the introduction of a paved area, built structures and gazebos, and for this reason objected to his lat- est proposal. Both the ERA and the AAC (ag- ricultural committee) objected to the passageways running across the field. The AAC said the pav- ing was "not for the genuine need of agriculture". Additionally, Fenech Adami was called upon by the PA to settle a €16,000 building levy for his application to sanction the landscaping variations and the passageway on the agricultural fields. He filed an appeal through his architect, Paul Camilleri, and lawyer Ian Stafrace – himself a former PA chief executive – claiming the computation of the levy had been excessive. "An access passage leading from the terraced house into the field does not constitute the formalisa- tion of a garden in an ODZ area," Fenech Adami said in his appeal on the levy, saying the passage- ways constituted just 7% of the field's area. "There are various instances where the PA granted permits for access pathways in fields, which we reserve the right to quote examples of during the course of the proceedings." However, the appeal was aban- doned some time after July 2017, when the PA official gave an ex- planation of the computation of the fees based on the size of the area. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Nationalist MP's concrete passageways on the agricultural land at the back of his house turned a field into a garden in breach of planning rules The Environment and Resources Authority said the field behind Fenech Adami's house had been 'formalised' into a garden, something that was not allowed All fowl play: emus, peacocks, ducks, chickens and guinea fowl inside Beppe Fenech Adami's coop