The holder of a permit for the development of a farmhouse near Chadwick Lakes has filed a judicial protest calling on farmers requesting Mepa to revoke his permit to stop acting abusively and illegally.

Four farmers on Monday filed a judicial protest against Mepa calling on it to revoke the permit saying the development was not originally covered by the relevant permits and an enforcement notice had been issued.

They said they had called for the permit to be withdrawn and although Mepa said that everything was in order, the authority's auditor said the permit should never have been issued and should be revoked. Yet Mepa processed a second application for the development, linked to the first.

They claimed that in November, the position of the permit holder, Gianfranco Selvaggi, was regularised by Mepa in a shameful manner. They called on the authority to revoke the permit.

In his protest, Mr Selvaggi said that he learnt of the farmers' protest from the media because they did not have the decency to tell him about it.

What they claimed about lack of permits, he said, was not true and all his development was in line with the law. The farmers, he said, were taking their action for personal financial gain and to keep the owner from enjoying his property.

Mr Selvaggi is also holding the four farmers responsible for damages.