Graffitti opposed to Comino ‘year-round village’ as Hili presents new plans with smaller footprint

Hili Ventures have presented new plans for the construction of 16 bungalows and a club house overlooking Santa Marija Bay. 

The plans show a reduction in the number of bungalows from the originally proposed 19 to 16. The original village included 13 bungalows and a number of sports facilities. The footprint of the bungalows is now set at 4,615.6 sq.m down from 6,066 sq.m as proposed in 2022. 

Presently the bungalow area including the service areas and sports facilities occupy a footprint of 4,587.95 sq.m.

As proposed, the bungalows themselves will have 49 bed rooms with the village having a sleeping capacity of 98. 

Each bungalow will occupy a floor area of between 253 sq.m to 313 sq.m while the club house will have a floor area of 330 sq.m. Each bungalow will have a pool and decking area which is not the case with the existing bungalows. 

Plans indicate Hili Ventures have also presented aerial visuals of how the new development would look like compared to the existing situation and the proposal as revised in 2022. 

READ ALSO: Comino developers set to reduce footprint of bungalow area in new plans

But so far, no visuals have been published showing the view of the bungalows from Santa Marija Bay itself.  Similar images were published in a visual assessment included in the Environmental Impact Assessment for the original proposal.  Unlike aerial views, photomontages as previously published in the EIA show how the development will be seen by people frequenting the beach itself.

But environmentalists are not convinced, insisting that their major objection to the bungalow area is not just related to footprint.

“From the beginning our objection was not only related to the size of the footprint but to the intensity of the proposed development and its use,” Moviment Graffitti spokesperson Andre Callus told MaltaToday.

Callus said that NGOs are still analysing the plans and will be issuing a full statement later on.

But Callus reiterated Graffitti’s objection to the idea of having “a village which is used all year round” in a Natura 2000 site, something which goes against the spirit of all present-day environmental policies.

The current state of the proposed development

On their part HV have insisted that as revised and when including the reduction of the hotel area on which there has been no controversy, they have reduced the footprint to 8,244 sqm — the equivalent to the area of around 32 tennis courts.

Moreover, they point out that the buildings at the bungalow site will be receded from the foreshore, increasing public accessibility, and will be lower in height than the existing ones.

A spokesperson for HV Hospitality said: “Following our public exhibition, we carefully considered the concerns raised by stakeholders. Our mission has always been to find a balanced solution for this unique site—one that is mindful of environmental sustainability and respects the natural beauty of the area. The amendments we have submitted this week successfully strike the balance between the public’s concerns, the site requirements, and the touristic needs set out by the concession and local plans.”

They also outlined plans for the removal of invasive and alien species and the planting of more than 55,000 endemic trees, shrubs and plants.