ERA approval paves way for uprooting of 800 trees for proposed Comino hotel

Graffitti criticised the decision, arguing that allowing the works to proceed before its legal challenge against the planning permit is concluded could result in irreversible environmental damage.

The NGO said the approved works would involve the removal of around 800 trees from Comino’s nature reserve, as well as excavation, demolition-related activities and increased construction traffic.

It warned that if Hili Group proceeds with construction works while its court case against the Planning Authority permit remains unresolved, it will mount what it described as a “ferocious fight”.

“We will not let them destroy Comino,” Graffitti said, referring to Albania as a warning.

HV Hospitality, the company behind the project, has disputed the 800-tree figure.

It said there are around 2,500 trees and shrubs on the site, of which approximately 1,900 are alien, invasive or ecologically incompatible species whose removal is intended to restore native habitats.

Of around 600 native and protected trees and shrubs, the company said approximately 550 would be transplanted, while around 50 would be permanently removed. Each permanently removed specimen would be compensated at a ratio of 1:10.

The project’s wider environmental programme, HV Hospitality said, would introduce around 55,000 new trees and plants and restore more than 8,200 square metres of previously developed land to its natural state.

The company said all documentation requested by ERA had been submitted, including method statements covering tree interventions and preparatory works. It said transplantation and removal would be carried out under specialist ecological supervision during winter.

ERA’s approval does not cover demolition of the existing buildings or construction of the proposed hotel and bungalows. Those works remain subject to the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings concerning the planning permit.

The redevelopment of the former Comino Hotel site includes a hotel, 16 villas, and 44 swimming pools.

Momentum has also condemned the ERA decision, describing it as yet another blow to the environment. At a time when Maltese and Gozitan communities are witnessing the loss of trees and green spaces almost daily, the party said the decision sends the message that environmental protection continues to take second place to development interests.

Residents across Malta protest daily against tree destruction, overdevelopment, and call for more green spaces, Momentum said. Instead of listening, authorities approve decisions that damage the environment and erode public trust for the benefit of a few enriching themselves at the expense of all.

The party also questioned the Government's electoral slogan, "Ħolma Tiegħek. Proġett Tagħna", asking what the promise actually meant. If protecting Malta's natural heritage was truly part of that project, as Abela and many Labour Party candidates have repeatedly stated, Momentum asked why citizens are still seeing valleys, open spaces, and now hundreds of trees sacrificed.

Momentum called on the Government to explain how the ERA decision is compatible with its repeated commitments to environmental protection, and to clarify what concrete steps it intends to take to ensure that Malta's remaining natural areas, including Comino, are genuinely safeguarded for future generations.