Residents file parliamentary petition after excavation works start at ex-Mistra village

A parliamentary petition has been started against a 12-storey complex on the ex-Mistra village site as excavation works begin in the area despite the permit under appeal

Photo from Nationalist MP Ivan Castillo/Facebook
Photo from Nationalist MP Ivan Castillo/Facebook

Residents have filed a parliamentary petition against a 12-storey complex on the ex-Mistra village site in Xemxija after excavations works began weeks before a court was to decide on the permit appeal.

In their petition, residents are requesting a review of the permit given and asking that the works stop until the result of the case at the Court of Appeals is announced.

The court is due to issue its verdict on 10 May.

The permit concerns a 12-storey high-rise complex consisting of 744 units on Xemxija ridge. It had been approved in 2013 but was left in limbo after the Ombudsman concluded that the Planning Authority had been wrong to approve the permit.

The developer applied to renew the permit in 2018 for a further five years, with the PA approving the application in February 2019.

This prompted residents to file an appeal with the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal, but the tribunal confirmed the project’s permit renewal.

Residents went on to file a case in court over the permit.

Nationalist MP Ivan Castillo took to social media earlier this week with a video of the excavation works at the ex-Mistra site.

“With an appeal in the appeals court how can this be undone if this permit is revoked and sent back to the drawing board?” he questioned.

PN MP Graziella Galea also posted a video of the works on social media. “Despite objections from so many residents and environmental groups, the sound of rock cutting says everything about what’s happening in Xemxija”.