Il-Kollettiv raises alarm over Qrendi development ahead of PA decision

An application to build an asphalt plant between Mqabba and Qrendi, withdrawn in 2023 following residents’ protests, could now be approved by the Planning Authority after the developer submitted a separate application for an apartment block on the same site in 2024, Il-Kollettiv said.

The NGO said that, following a “highly irregular” planning process, a decision on the application is due next week.

“We have no doubt that someone within the Planning Authority is manoeuvring to ensure this permit is approved at all costs,” Il-Kollettiv said, questioning why the application is still proceeding despite alleged procedural breaches.

The original asphalt plant was proposed by BIP Limited, a company owned by the Penza family, and was planned less than 200 metres away from an existing apartment block.

Il-Kollettiv recalled that the project faced significant opposition from residents and local councils in the area before the application was withdrawn in 2023.

After withdrawing the application, the developer proposed a five-storey apartment block on the same site in 2024.

“It appears that this block is a substitute for the plant,” Il-Kollettiv said. “Instead of tarmac, Qrendi will be filled with concrete.”

The developer later added an extra floor after the objection period had closed. The NGO noted that the objection process was only reopened following a letter from the residents’ architect.

Since then, Il-Kollettiv said, entities such as the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage have expressed discomfort with the design.

The NGO explained that applicant Darren Ciantar submitted a number of minor amendments to the design in an attempt to address the Superintendence’s requirements.

Ciantar declared that he is not the owner of the land in question, with Il-Kollettiv claiming that he has done the same in numerous applications across Malta.

Part of the site belongs to members of the Penza family, while the land has links to the Axiak family, the NGO said.

Il-Kollettiv also pointed out that Karmenu Penza is one of the developers behind the Labour Party headquarters in Ħamrun.

The NGO added that an existing Penza-owned plant in Ħal Far had previously been the subject of enforcement action by the Environment and Resources Authority due to excessive pollution.

Il-Kollettiv also said that, until recently, a member of the Penza family worked in the customer care department at Castille.

The NGO added that the Qrendi Local Council has remained completely silent on the issue and has yet to take a stance on the development.

“This is a classic move by the Government and the private sector acting in tandem: taking one step back only to surge six steps forward, with excavators encroaching on people’s backyards for the sake of a development that increasingly appears to be a scheme detrimental to the residents of Qrendi,” Il-Kollettiv concluded.