Lija council complains about ODZ development

The Lija council is calling on the planning authority not to sanction an illegal development in what it said was an outside development zone.

The owners of four new terraced houses still being built, and which were covered by permits, had also constructed a swimming pool, a washroom and a pump room on land ODZ and had now submitted requests to sanction them, the council complained.

Mayor Ian Castaldi Paris said the Development Planning Directorate had recommended that the plans be rejected but the Development Control Commission (DCC) did not take the issue seriously.

The DCC had asked the owners to submit a fresh set of plans for evaluation, which the council took to mean that the DCC was subtly giving the developer another chance and it was likely the plans would be accepted.

Dr Castaldi Paris said he had confidence in the planning authority board but not in the DCC.

In a letter addressed to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's chairman, the mayor said the applicants had been given too many chances to legalise their developments.

A Mepa spokesman explained that presenting a fresh set of plans was normal procedure and this did not in any way imply the development would be accepted.

The directorate still had to evaluate the new set of plans and make its recommendations to the DCC board, the spokesman said. No decision has been taken so far.