Updated | MEPA seeks legal advice to challenge Montekristo trade fair permit

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority is seeking legal advice to oppose a recommendation issued by a police licences appeals board that green-lit a permit for the Fiera l-Kbira trade fair at Montekristo Estates, despite MEPA’s objections.

A MEPA official has confirmed with MaltaToday that illegalities on site at Charles Polidano’s Montekristo Estates, which will host 230 exhibitors at a trade fair on 9 July, were still in play.

The official said claims by Montekristo’s CEO Jean-Paul Sammut that a number of contentious structures in an open area had been removed, was untrue and that the enforcement notice outlined in MEPA’s website was still valid. “We have been making these submissions on Montekristo’s illegalities for the past six months,” the official said.

But today, fair manager Paul Abela and Sammut said that it was only a small area of the property that was being disputed for the siting of the fair, leading to a temporary delay in the issuance of a police permit for the fair.

Sammut said that the company had responded to objections made by MEPA about the illegally built structures. “We’re very disappointed that MEPA is still contesting the case with the police licenses tribunal, even up until last night,” he said.

The police originally withheld the permit after MEPA objected to a permit being given, because of enforcement orders on the site at Hal-Farrug.

“Polidano Bros. has worked with MEPA to remove a number of contentious structures from the property, including rooms in the animal park (demolished during April and May this year) and buildings near the entrance to the estate, behind the parking lot,” Sammut said.

He said that disused areas had been cleaned up and embellished with trees and plants.

Sammut pointed out that the structures which had been removed had been situated in the area being used for the fair and that other structures on the rest of the premises were still under discussion.

The buildings mentioned include the replica of a Knights’ tower, a classical-style building, and a four-storey edifice with a pool being used as a cafeteria among others, which had been targeted for demolishing by MEPA in 2013.

Sammut however railed against what he said was “bureaucracy” that he claimed prevented “cooperative” people from getting positive results immediately, and stressed the trade fair’s economic importance and the risk it was placed in by “excessive bureaucracy”.

The trade fair is expected to attract over 100,000 visitors. “The fair is the country’s greatest commercial activity with its over 400 stands and over 250 exhibitors,” Paul Abela said.

Gozitan visitors will be allowed to enter the fair for free upon presentation of their ferry ticket and that they would still be entitled to all the prizes should they win.

He also stressed that parking and public transport issues, which had been problematic in the past, will be alleviated by more parking and traffic wardens.