Mizzi Estates resubmits plans to rebuild hotel in Natura 2000 site in Mellieħa

Mizzi Estates have once again submitted a planning application to rebuild a long-derelict hotel within a Natura 2000 site in Mellieħa, reviving a controversial project that has repeatedly run into opposition from environmental authorities, heritage bodies and local residents.

The latest application proposes the demolition of the existing hotel ruins, originally approved under a separate permit (PB/03038/87), and their reconstruction strictly in line with the parameters of that permit.

According to the application, the rebuilt hotel would retain the same number of floors, gross floor area, number of rooms, footprint and external volume as the structure approved and partially built in the 1980s.

A similar application presented in 2022 was withdrawn after a Planning Authority case officer recommended its refusal. In September, the Authority again advised rejecting Mizzi Estates’ earlier outline proposal for the redevelopment of the derelict Festaval Hotel, citing the absence of key traffic and environmental studies that prevented a full assessment of the project.

The hotel ruins occupy a site of around 9,600 square metres within a Natura 2000 area of ecological importance and lie in the buffer zone of the Grade 1 scheduled Red Tower, as well as nearby Second World War defence posts.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage had objected to the hotel’s reconstruction, calling instead for the demolition of the ruins and the rehabilitation of the ridge to restore the natural landscape. Moreover, environmental NGOs, including BirdLife Malta, have also lodged objections.

In its submission, BirdLife Malta warned that redevelopment would negatively impact the nearby Foresta 2000 project — a long-term initiative launched in 2003 by BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa and the government to establish a Mediterranean forest and wildlife refuge. The NGO argued that a rebuilt hotel would erode the area’s “remoteness, peace and tranquillity”, undermining its recreational and ecological value.

Mizzi Estates, part of the Mizzi Organisation, have argued that the project would simply replace dangerous, long-abandoned ruins with a modernised hotel while respecting the limits of the original permit, which predates both Natura 2000 designation and Malta’s modern planning framework.

However, the Planning Authority’s case officer stressed that the proposal could not be properly assessed without essential documentation. Missing submissions included a traffic scoping statement, a tourism compliance certificate from the Malta Tourism Authority, and a determination by the Environment and Resources Authority on whether an Environmental Impact Assessment was required.

“The proposal lacks the necessary information to enable complete assessment in terms of transport, land use and environmental impacts, which are an integral part in determining the principle being assessed,” the report concluded.

The Mellieħa local council went a step further, insisting that the project should be rejected outright for breaching policies protecting Natura 2000 sites, landscapes and scheduled heritage assets such as the Red Tower.

In a representation authored by architect Carmel Cacopardo, the council argued that refusal should be grounded in the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development, rather than procedural shortcomings alone.

The hotel, designed by architect Richard England, was never completed or opened due to early structural problems. The 31-apartment complex has since deteriorated into a graffiti-covered ruin, overgrown by vegetation and described by the case officer as “a destination for alternative tourists that seek modernist constructions taken over by nature.”

Mizzi Estates have pursued redevelopment of the site for decades, with proposals ranging from a spa and rehabilitation centre to a villa masterplan. The company has also faced enforcement action for leaving the site derelict, an order that remains under appeal.

In the most recent proceedings, the Planning Authority’s recommended refusal was ultimately based on the applicant’s failure to submit required studies within statutory timeframes. The application was subsequently withdrawn.

In 2018 the Planning Authority had issued an enforcement notice against the owners stating that the Abandoned building was left in a derelict state causing Injury to amenity.