Villa with swimming pool approved in Wied Għomor

An application for a villa with a swimming pool in Wied il-Għomor was approved by the Planning Commission, on the strength of a permit issued in 1969.

Despite three previous refusals, including by the Court of Appeal, permit PA/02876/23 was approved on Friday morning.

The applicant, Neville Agius, wants to turn an abandoned structure off Triq il-Kaffis into a four-bedroom residence with a swimming pool and an underlying basement.

In a social media post, San Ġwann mayor Trevor Fenech acknowledged the approval “with disappointment,” and explained that together with Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat, and St Julian’s mayor Guido Dalli he will discuss a way forward.

The application, once it proceeds, will pursue a large area of a valley between Swieqi, San Ġwann and St Julian's, an area of both ecological and scientific importance. 

The valley was scheduled by the Planning Authority in June 1999.

However, the commission gave its green light to the newest attempt after the developer traced the original permit granted by the Planning Board in 1969. 

The original 12 residence project, was never completed and was abandoned in shell form.

Proposals in the past for the same site to be built had been repeatedly refused as the commission expressed doubts on whether the abandoned structure was ever a “legally established residence”, as required by planning policies.

Planning Authority records show that the illegal construction was served with an enforcement notice, which was withdrawn in 2017, following “legal advice and instructions,” the case officer’s report states.