Controversy re-awakened: Case officer recommends redevelopment of Qala ruin into ‘agricultural store’

After years of controversy over attempts to convert a rural structure in Qala into a residence, a planning case officer is recommending approval for its ‘restoration’.

However, the recommendation comes with a condition—the rehabilitated structure should only be used as an agricultural store.

The dilapidated building is a pre-1967 rural structure at Triq ta’ Gafan. The application, filed by Mark Agius and architect Alex Bigeni, seeks permission for the partial reconstruction and restoration of an existing rural structure, together with the planting of trees on surrounding land. The site lies in an environmentally sensitive area designated as an Area of Ecological Importance and an Area of High Landscape Sensitivity.

According to plans submitted with the application, the proposal includes two separate additions to the structure, over a footprint of 20sq.m. The existing structure which is being restored has a footprint of 40sq.m. The proposal includes the roofing of both floor levels.

In his report, the case officer acknowledges that the proposal follows earlier attempts to convert the same structure into an ODZ dwelling. Those attempts proved highly controversial back in 2019 when a permit was issued to redevelop the ruin into a villa with a swimming pool. The case sparked a national outcry, opposition from environmental NGOs and the Qala local council, and an appeal by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), ultimately leading to the withdrawal and dismissal of the permit.

Against this backdrop, the case officer notes that although the current application refers to the building as a “rural structure” and does not introduce an explicit residential use, concerns remain.

ERA, which objected to the proposal from an environmental perspective, warned that approving the application could pave the way for a “fully-fledged dwelling” outside the development zone through future extensions and ancillary developments.

ERA also described the proposed extensions at ground and first floor, the introduction of a passageway, the creation of a new wall and planting of trees within non-agricultural areas as being of “significant environmental concern”.

“The proposed development would result in a new modern building, which would negatively affect the area’s rural scenery and result in the intensification of physical development in this predominant natural area,” ERA noted.

To address these concerns, the case officer is recommending that any approved drawings must clearly indicate the use of the building as an agricultural store. In addition, the surrounding land would have to be registered with the Agricultural Directorate, a move presented as being consistent with other approvals for rural structures in ODZ areas.

The recommendation effectively acknowledges the site’s troubled planning history. The report explicitly refers to “previous attempts to obtain a residential use on site” and frames the proposed restriction as a safeguard aimed at preventing a repeat of past controversies.

Nevertheless, the proposal has attracted strong objections from third parties and the Qala local council, who have expressed fears that the restoration could represent a first step towards further development in one of the few remaining undeveloped rural pockets in the locality.

While the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has cleared the restoration works, subject to strict conditions and a €2,200 bank guarantee, ERA has maintained its objection, citing environmental impacts and the risk of incremental development.

The application is being recommended for approval by the Development Management Directorate, but the case raises a broader question as to whether imposing a restrictive “agricultural store” label represents a genuine safeguard against ODZ residential development or simply a procedural hurdle that allows controversial sites to inch forward through the planning system, one application at a time.

In 2024, when filing this latest planning application to restore the building into an agricultural store, Agius had stated they had “listened to public feedback about this site”.

“Instead, we have decided to restore the old structure so that it does not continue to deteriorate and lose its historical value,” Agius had said, adding that once restored, it will be used as a “store room for agricultural purposes” and no further applications or change of use to the site will be sought.