Polidano’s neoclassical villa gets the thumbs-down from the ERA

Design of facade of new villa proposed by Polidano

The Environment and Resources Authority has said no to a grandiose 3,300 sq.m villa designed by construction magnate Charles Polidano ‘ic-Caqnu’ with a visually striking classical design outside the development zone of Safi.

Polidano has applied for a permit to build the villa on San Gwann road under the pretext that the area in question is an “infill site” between residential development on one side and a Lidl supermarket directly adjacent to it. The area is characterised by agricultural fields.

The Planning Authority had controversially approved the Lidl supermarket in Safi constructed by Polidano himself in 2007, a decision that had been then condemned by the PA’s internal ombudsman, leading to the en masse resignation of the planning commission responsible for the decision.

Earlier this year, the PA issued an enforcement order against illegal development on the same site consisting of a boundary wall, the fixing of a gate enclosing the site and the building of foundations of structures inside the same site.

The application proposes the retention of the existing wall, a citrus tree orchard and a swimming pool. The development including the landscaped area will take place over 3,329 sq.m of land.

The ERA has already objected to the application noting that the location of the site between existing developments “should not be used as a pretext to gain further development permissions and expanding the range of land uses in this agricultural area”.

According to ERA the proposal will result in the encroachment of urban development onto this particular area, which is designated by the local plan as an ‘Area of Agricultural Value’, where in such areas the PA only approves structures essential to the needs of agriculture.

The ERA also reiterated its position against any further loss of undeveloped land outside the development zone boundary and its concern that on “numerous ad hoc proposals for new modern residential dwelling being proposed on ODZ land”.

Over the past years the PA has approved a number of residential developments on ODZ sites under the pretext that these are located in infill sites. These included four dwellings approved in Kalkara before the 2018 general election.  

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has also called for an archaeological investigation of the site, recalling that it had expressed concern on the archaeological sensitivity of land where the adjacent supermarket was built.

“Although the site in question was not subject to archaeological evaluation and monitoring, there was significant concern about the archaeological sensitivity of the area. Given that this supermarket site is in the immediate proximity to the site in question, the Superintendence recommends that any development on the site footprint must be subject to an archaeological investigation.”

Location of proposed development between an existing villa and a Lidl supermarket built by Polidano and approved by the PA in 2007