MTA withdrew Mistra upgrade application in view of Mepa objections

The Malta Tourism Authority withdrew an application to upgrade Mistra Bay after the Malta Environment and Planning Authority rejected three fourths of what was being proposed, an architect said in court yesterday.

Among the proposals made by the MTA in its outline development application was the building of a pavement along the seaside and re-positioning the parking area away from the beach.

The court had already been informed that the outline permit application for the embellishment had been tied to another application to build a disco in the bay area. The permit for the disco, which would have been built on land belonging to Dr Pullicino Orlando, has since been revoked.

Architect Alfred Grech said that after submitting the outline development application he had received a call from George Micallef, who was the MTA's consultant at the time, asking him to upgrade it to a full development proposal.

Mr Grech was testifying in the compilation of evidence in the case against Philip Azzopardi, 57, and Anthony Mifsud, 50, respectively former chairman and a member of the Development Control Commission, who are alleged to have had private interests in the adjudication process of the disco application.

When asked why he had proceeded to do what Mr Micallef had instructed, Mr Grech said that when making an outline proposal the aim was for it to become a full development application.

"George Micallef had told me that he was under pressure from certain people to have the embellishment application pushed through quickly but I never enquired about who these people were" Mr Grech said.

At a meeting between architects, their clients and Mepa officials, Mr Grech recalled seeing (Nationalist) MP Jeffery Pullicino Orlando but he did not know why he was there.

The meeting was held to discuss various points about the MTA's application. However, Mepa had rejected so many of the MTA's proposals for the upgrading of the area that it decided to withdraw the application, he said.

Paul Camilleri, the architect for Dominic Micallef, who was the developer of Mr Pullicino Orlando's land, testified that the meetings held between the interested parties were not unusual. Such meetings did not mean the approval of the application would be guaranteed but rather helped the clients to change and shape their application so as to make it more attractive to the board, he said.

When asked whether such meetings were in any way unusual, Mr Camilleri explained that previously developers would know their applications were rejected but were not told why. The meetings, which were now considered as being routine, helped to explain the situation. The meetings are viewed as a sort of customer care exercise, allowing the clients and Mepa officials to liaise and come to a compromise.

The case continues.

Police Inspectors Ian Abdilla and Angelo Gafà prosecuted.

Lawyers Joe Giglio, Stephen Tonna Lowell and Peter Fenech appeared for the accused.