NGOs vow to continue legal battle after tribunal confirms Comino development

Tribunal has confirmed habitat loss but argued that this is compensated through restoration of garigue in other degraded areas of Comino

12 November 2025, 10:02am
by James Debono

2 min read

Photomontage of the proposed bungalows that will form part of the project (Photomontage prepared by HV Hospitality)

Environmental organisations have pledged to continue their legal battle against the redevelopment of the Comino hotel and bungalows after the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) upheld the permit granted to Hili Ventures, while confirming that the project will entail the loss of legally protected garigue habitat.

The tribunal on Tuesday rejected an appeal filed by nine NGOs and several individuals against the Planning Authority’s approval for a 140-bed hotel, 16 villas and 44 swimming pools at San Niklaw and Santa Marija bays. The project will replace the disused Comino Hotel complex, closed in 2022.

In its decision, the EPRT concluded that site-specific policies for Comino in the Gozo and Comino Local Plan take precedence over general restrictions on development outside development zones. It ruled that the project complies with Policy GZ-GHJN-8, which encourages the rehabilitation of existing tourist facilities “in a manner compatible with the environment.”

Significantly, the tribunal confirmed that the project will result in the destruction of 1,220 square metres of garigue habitat — an area classified as a protected natural feature under Maltese law and part of the island’s Natura 2000 site. The finding was based on studies by ecological expert Jonathan Henwood. However, the tribunal accepted the developer’s plan to compensate this loss through an “ecological restoration” of other degraded areas over an area of 2,360sq.m on the island.

Environmental groups had argued that the redevelopment violates Comino’s Natura 2000 safeguards and will cause irreversible ecological harm through extensive excavations and 41 private pools. They also maintained that the project increases the gross floor area by up to 4,000 square metres, in breach of local plan safeguards that prohibit the intensification of development.

Describing the government-appointed tribunal’s ruling as “predictable,” the ten organisations warned that “Comino as we know it will be lost forever.” The appeal had been financed through public crowdfunding, which the NGOs said would also support further legal action.

“The fight to save Comino from greed will continue,” they said, promising to announce their next steps in the coming weeks.

James Debono is MaltaToday's chief reporter on environment, planning and land use issues, ...