La Grotta owners apply to sanction illegalities

In August MEPA refused to sanction some of the illegalities through a Development Notification Order.

George Said, owner of La Grotta Discotheque in Xlendi, has applied to regularise planning irregularities in the protected Lunzjata valley.

The application presented on 24 September, which foresees the regularisation of a pizzeria, various terraces and stairs, toilets, stores and bars is in its initial stages and has not yet been validated by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.  

The Environment and Planning Act forbids MEPA from sanctioning any development carried out on scheduled sites like Wied il-Lunzjata where La Grotta is located.

But the consultation document “For an efficient planning system” issued in April 2014 proposes the deletion of the sixth schedule, which will be replaced by the imposition of daily fines. In the next months MEPA is expected to inform the developers through a “screening letter” whether the application conforms to existing policies.

In August MEPA refused to sanction some of the illegalities through a Development Notification Order.

The Planning Authority insisted that the application did not address all the illegalities found on the site of the popular disco.

Moreover, while the developers had resorted to the fast-track development notification (DNO) procedure to sanction “internal alterations”, MEPA insisted that the law regulating DNOs does not apply to extensions to non-residential buildings located in “scheduled” areas. The law stipulates that such extensions require a full planning application.

DNO permits are usually issued for minor developments in residential areas or for temporary structures.

The Grotta disco, which is subject to two pending enforcement orders dating back to 1999 and 1997, is located in a scheduled Area of High Landscape Value.

The Lunzjata valley where the disco is located is scheduled and therefore protected against development. Moreover according to Schedule 6 of the Development and Planning Act MEPA cannot regularise any development on scheduled sites.

An enforcement order issued in 1997 refers to “additions and alterations” made without a permit. The enforcement order issued in 1999 refers to various illegal structures including stores, bars, a pizzeria, terraces, steps and rooms found between the entrance and the protected valley along the entire length of the complex.

Part of the present complex is covered by a permit issued in 1986. In 1994 MEPA approved an application to replace a deteriorated wooden gazebo on top of the existing dance floor with a bigger gazebo, over a larger dance floor and to create another covered dance floor to cater for winter and summer seasons. No further permits were issued by the Planning Authority.

MEPA is still awaiting the outcome of the Appeals Tribunal before deciding what action to take against La Grotta nightclub, which has been served with enforcement notices since 1994.

The La Grotta website describes the venue as one of the “best (venues) in the world”.

 “The outdoor dance floor gives you an idea as to why this club is so revered in local and international circles, as it gives you an unspoilt and magical view of a winding valley resplendent with tall bamboo plants sprouting upward all the way down to the foot of the hills that surround the area,” according to La Grotta’s website.