No government approval for Gudja development

The land parcel in Gudja earmarked for a proposed tourism project by the owners of an irregular restaurant, which itself is situated on the land parcel, is leased by the state to “various tenants” for “agricultural purposes”, a spokesperson for the government confirmed.  

A spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister confirmed that the government had issued its “consent” to the developer to apply on its property in Gudja but insisted that this does not signify approval of the plans submitted.

In 2012, MEPA had issued an enforcement notice against the illegal use of a farmhouse as a restaurant. The owners deny that that the farmhouse is being used as a restaurant, insisting that they only use it for private functions.

MaltaToday is informed that some of the tenants are objecting to the project, which would be located on church land transferred to the state under the church state agreement.

The land itself, in the vicinity of the Bir Miftuh chapel, was included in the extension of the development boundaries of 2006, introduced by the Nationalist administration.

Anton Scicluna, owner of the restaurant which, according to him, caters only for private functions, is seeking the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s green light to designate guidelines for a ‘tourism development’ he wants built on the surrounding fields which he has at Dawret il-Gudja. 

The Sciclunas’ plans envision a mixed-use commercial building, which includes “touristic oriented activities” over two floors, and a semi-basement on part of the site. 40% of the site will be kept undeveloped.  

The application refers to the development of a Class 3A development (guesthouses) and 3C development (leisure activities like gyms and theatres). The development would also include a picnic area and a parking area.

A government spokesperson also clarified that the signature and stamp of the former Government Property Division’s Director General, Raymond Camilleri, on plans submitted by the owner of an irregularly developed restaurant to develop tourism facilities in Gudja, do not signify approval by the government for the project.

The stamp by the Government Property Division on planning control applications like this one, which set the parameters for future development, is “meant to show that the GPD gives its consent to the private developer to apply for a MEPA permit, without prejudice to the outcome”, the spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister told MaltaToday.

The government spokesperson also insisted that obtaining a MEPA Permit on government-owned land would not give the applicant “any automatic advantage on other bidders in an eventual call for tenders” and “does not exclude any third person from submitting and eventually winning a tender”.