Illegal Armier villa still standing as demolition works halted

The illegal villa that was supposed to have been demolished in Armier is still relatively intact, MaltaToday has learnt.

No demolition works have taken place since 16 June when workers began demolishing the illegal building, according to the Malta Ranger Unit (MRU).

The NGO was the first to bring the villa’s audacious construction to nationwide attention last month. MRU conducts daily patrols in the Armier area.

A photo of the site taken on 1 July shows the villa in the same condition it was in when demolition works began.

The illegal development belongs to Franklin Mangion of Żurrieq, a minority shareholder in Solitaire Property Ltd, a property development company currently in dissolution. Mangion is also the sole shareholder of Admin Services Ltd, a Mellieħa-based company that provides condominium administration services.

The MRU first reported the illegal works to the Planning Authority days before the general election on 30 May. At the time, the works consisted only of pallets and concrete blocks deposited on site. The MRU filed several other reports over the next few weeks.

The NGO then released images showing that over a two-week period the site rapidly developed into a villa with plastered side walls and a ceiling.

The rangers filed several other reports with the PA. The authority confronted the contravener and informed him that he had 16 days to restore the site to its original state, issuing an enforcement order.

Public outrage followed when MRU went public with photographic evidence, showing the developer’s complete disregard of the enforcement order.

On 16 June, the demolition of the building started but the MRU says this was the only time such works were carried out and the villa remains unashamedly relatively intact.