PN president defends ODZ development

Nationalist Party president Victor Scerri, who is building a farmhouse in an Outside Development Zone in Bahrija, yesterday defended his actions even though he said he supported his party's pledge to restrict such development.

Dr Scerri said he obtained a permit before the government's plans to restrict development in the countryside came into effect, adding: "I cannot be bound by what still has to happen.

"Are we going to revoke all permits issued in Outside Development Zones since Mepa (the Malta Environment and Planning Authority) has been in existence once the new policy is out? I have the right just like any other citizen to apply... I did nothing wrong..."

The case, which was first reported by the Labour Party's weekly newspaper Kullhadd last Sunday, revolves around a three-roomed farmhouse in the limits of Bahrija, which Dr Scerri obtained permission to demolish and rebuild, extending it by a third in the process.

The go-ahead was given by the Planning Authority in four stages between 2000 and 2007. At every stage, the applications were recommended for refusal by the authority's technical officers, but different boards eventually approved the project.

Back in 2002, Dr Scerri was granted permission "to reconstruct the existing structures with very minor alterations..." according to the authority's records. Initially, even this was turned down, but he eventually got the go-ahead. A year later, however, he applied to demolish the house and rebuild it. The case officer recommended that the application be turned down, pointing out that the demolition went "beyond the restoration interventions which were approved... and which may be permitted" in terms of Mepa's policy. It was approved.

The last application to be approved in September 2007 requested increasing the footprint of the farmhouse from 148 to 198 square metres. The application was objected to "in principle" but the board approved it.

Yesterday, Dr Scerri insisted that the process was clean throughout and challenged Labour leader Joseph Muscat, who mentioned the case during the European Parliament election campaign, to state what he finds wrong with the project.

"I wish he would say it," Dr Scerri said referring to the implication that there might have been pressure for this application to be approved. "He cannot say it because there wasn't."

Still, the development seems to represent the sort of building in the countryside which the Prime Minister pledged to stamp out at the last general election.

After the election, Lawrence Gonzi said he would like to see ODZ developments kept to the barest minimum and be primarily for agriculture.

Dr Gonzi was asked to comment on the case yesterday but his spokesman would only say: "the government's direction to Mepa is to apply the approved policies and the requirements set at law. The government does not interfere in Mepa's decision processes."

The Prime Minister was also asked whether he believed the ODZ development by his party's president was inconsistent with the reform he had promised.

When questioned about this point, Dr Scerri said he approved of this policy but pointed out that his project preceded this policy change.

"Throughout the permit process, I have acted within the law," he said, adding that he could not be told his permit was invalid now that a policy change was being contemplated.

At this point, he referred to three Labour MPs who, he said, had properties Outside Development Zones.