Wied Ghomor hotel application resurrected

A bid to turn two dwellings previously approved outside building zones by the Planning Authority, into a fully-fledged guesthouse, has been resurrected.

Nine months ago, the previous application for the Wied Għomor guesthouse ‘The Valley’ was withdrawn by applicant Karl Camilleri following reports that it was operating without a planning permit.

The latest application again asks to for permission to link the two existing dwellings, and change their use for a guesthouse with 11 rooms and a guest apartment. The latest application refers to a licence issued by the Malta Tourism Authority for the two properties to host English-language students.

The Valley was already taking bookings since at least the start of June 2019 on the basis of a compliance certificate issued by the MTA, while the Planning Authority was still assessing an application to convert the dwellings into a guest house.

The villas are situated off Triq Mikiel Ang Borg, close to Spinola Bay. They were originally recommended for approval, with no mention made of the fact that the guesthouse was accepting bookings without a valid planning permit.

In September 2019, the PA’s planning commission rejected the permit due to illegal use, as well as citing rural policy guidelines that only allow a change-of-use for ODZ buildings if the replacement “would result in a wider environmental benefit”. The application was withdrawn before being referred to a formal decision.

The building in Wied Għomor is covered by planning permission for two residential villas and swimming pools, which were approved in place of dilapidated structures on site by successive permits in 2017 and 2018. As soon as the permits were approved, the owners filed a further application to change the use of the buildings to a 12-room guesthouse.

The Environment and Resources Authority, which objected to the application, said it appeared that the previous applications were merely “stepping stones leading to this proposal”. The St Julian’s and Swieqi local councils also objected to the plans, as did environmental groups Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Din l-Art Ħelwa and Nature Trust.