Villa Macedonia

I refer to the letter (January 26) regarding Villa Macedonia in Balzan, which waxes high on emotion but, unfortunately, does not rely on facts. Mepa has never, at any point pronounced itself in favour of "wiping out" Villa Macedonia, as Edwin Calleja alleges.

The authority's website could have been used to obtain the information that the application PA3556/03 had been withdrawn by the applicant in November last year. Not only, it would also have shown that the Planning Directorate considered the proposal as unacceptable and made recommendations to the Development Control Commission to refuse the application.

This recommendation was fully endorsed by the Heritage Advisory Committee. The building qualifies as Grade 2-listed property. Villa Macedonia and its setting in a landscaped garden containing a number of mature protected trees contributes significantly to the visual image of the urban conservation area of Balzan which the authority seeks to protect.

It was considered that this application to demolish the villa runs counter to all major policies adopted by Mepa, such as the Structure Plan and the Policy and Design Guidance relative to urban conservation areas. Permitting such a development would also have meant prejudicing the draft Central Malta Local Plan.

It appears, therefore, that the reader is not informed of the latest developments and his criticism of Mepa is unjust and unjustified.