Elizabeth Ellul to chair board responsible for permits in UCA and Gozo

Veteran architect and planner Elizabeth Ellul has been appointed in a sensitive planning role as chairman of the planning commission responsible for taking decisions on permits within historical village cores designated as Urban Conservation Areas.  

She will also be responsible for all permits issued in the development zone in Gozo.

Back in March 2020 Ellul was removed from  chairperson of the Planning Authority’s commission that decides planning applications outside development zones, in one of the first major decisions taken by former Planning Minister Aaron Farrugia in what was interpreted as a rebuke for Ellul. 

She was instead moved into the regularisation board which is responsible for sanctioning minor irregularities like internal backyards where she served for the past five years. In her low profile role she was not involved in any controversial decision. Ellul was also removed from the Planning Board which takes decisions on major projects and of which she was deputy chairperson.

Ellul is considered to be well versed in planning legislation and has a long experience in planning boards dating back to the Gonzi administration when she also served on one of the Development Control Commissions. She was also the brains behind the PA’s controversial ODZ policy that controversially allows country rooms to be transformed into villas if it can be proved that someone resided there in the past.

As board chairperson, she disagreed with the Planning Directorate's recommendation to refuse a planning application in 2019 to develop a dilapidated building in Qala’s pristine countryside into a villa with pool. The application involving Gozitan developer Joseph Portell was later taken away from the planning commission she chaired and was approved by the Planning Board.  The application was subsequently withdrawn after a public outcry.

Moreover, Environmental NGOs had called for Ellul’s resignation over a potential conflict of interest after media reports that her husband was involved as an architect in the CryptoTower project in Paceville being developed by Portelli. She denied having a conflict of interest. Elizabeth Ellul’s husband has been recently appointed to serve on the Planning Board which takes decisions on major projects.

The Planning commission responsible for ODZ permits including those issued in Gozo, will still be chaired by veteran planner Martin Camilleri who has taken a stricter approach to such developments in the past five years.

Lorinda Vella will now be chairing the board responsible for regularising minor illegalities while Stephania Baldacchino will continue chairing the board responsible for issuing permits in the development zone.

This morning the  Planning Authority (PA) has announced that it will be increasing  the number of Planning Commissions to four as the authority has over 5,000 pending applications. The Authority said the change will ensure that all cases are brought before a Commission within 15 days. It also aims to maintain legal compliance and shield both the authority and government from “legal challenges or reputational damage.”

Furthermore, the PA said the expansion will help restore public and investor confidence in the planning process by enabling more timely and efficient decisions.