€2.4m price for Natura 2000 land where PA granted villa permit

A Ta’ Ċenċ plot with permits for a villa suspected of being of “dubious legality” by the environmental watchdog, has gone on sale for €2.35 million. 

A Maltapark advert boasted of the Gozitan promontory’s sea views and a massive 3,200sq.m gardens for the prospective villa, permitted in a protected Natura 2000 site. 

MaltaToday has established that the villa permit was granted in 2019 instead of an older, smaller building, to Monica Borg. The permit was issued despite a strong objection by the Environment and Resources Authority and the concerns of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.

The property's location

The ERA said the existing building was already of “dubious legality” since its original permit could not be traced. The watchdog also expressed concern that a proposed villa would commit a footprint of about 422sq.m, for a new residential unit, a pool, pathways and hard surfacing for a terrace and BBQ area. 

ERA warned that the proposal will result in the formalisation of the entire site. “Such development is not typical of a rural landscape as the one in question and thus the proposal is considered to be unfit within the context especially when noting the site’s protection.” 

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had also registered its “apprehension at such a development”, noting that it envisaged the construction of a new building on a larger footprint than the older one, as well as a swimming pool and ancillary facilities. 

A Maltapark advert boasted of the Gozitan promontory’s sea views and a massive 3,200sq.m gardens for the prospective villa

But the PA still approved the development following a favourable recommendation by the case officer, who deemed the request to be in line with the PA’s rural policy allowing pre-1978 buildings to be redeveloped into villas if proof exists of prior use as a residence. 

The case officer justified approval after the project architect declared that the Ta’ Sabbar building had been in use between 1969 and 1972 to host a resident watchman, guarding the tools used in the construction of 10 other villas at nearby Mġarr ix-Xini. Water and electricity bills were also submitted to prove that the building was inhabited. 

The case officer’s report indicates that the existing building occupied a footprint of 110sq.m while the proposed villa will grow to 167sq.m. The new development will include a basement level, and a 75sq.m pool area and surrounding landscaping.

The case officer acknowledged that with the exception of a nearby building, the area where the villa will be located is “characterised by rural land which is relatively open and unspoilt”. 

The permit will remain valid till May 2024.