Rabat WW2 rooms, land Nationalist MP wanted for villa, to be restored

Land in the Rabat countryside once earmarked for a residence by Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina, is proposing the restoration of the WWII rooms as living quarters and an observation room.

The project, outside development zones in Saqqajja, also proposes the restoration of an existing almond grove. Basement canteens will be excavated beneath the three existing dilapidated rooms.

The roofless rooms were used as living quarters during WWII. Anthony Micallef, who declared ownership of the 3,000sq.m plot of land where the project is located, presented the application.

In 2017, Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina was forced to withdraw a planning application filed by his wife for a three-bedroom dwelling, swimming pool, garages and driveway disguised as a “restoration of derelict World War II structures”, after being outed by Labour party organ Kullħadd.

Since then the property, which includes an almond grove, has changed ownership and Angelo D’Arrigo, a Remax property agent who declared full ownership of the site, presented a new application. The application also foresaw the erection of a new dwelling but was subsequently withdrawn. Unlike the present application, which simply seeks the restoration of the military rooms, both applications proposed the integration of all three rooms into a single dwelling.