The planning authority has slapped construction magnate Charles Polidano with an enforcement notice, stopping him from carrying out illegal work in the gardens of protected Balzan town houses.

One of the properties had been used by Grand Master De Rohan as his country residence

The enforcement action was taken after a complaint was lodged with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority about the works being carried out in Balzan.

Enforcement officers investigated the report and found that work was being carried out on the site where Mr Polidano had repeatedly applied to knock down four historic townhouses in the village core to build six terraced houses with swimming pools instead.

A Mepa spokesman confirmed that Mr Polidano was served with an enforcement notice for a number of illegal works. These included the unauthorised uprooting of trees, shifting of soil and pulling down of part of a rubble wall within a scheduled property. The work was carried out a few days ago.

On this site in Main Street, which also includes a 300-year-old building, Mr Polidano sought a permit to construct terraced houses with underground parking facilities. The permit was refused in October 2010 and, in July last year, the planning authority issued an emergency conservation order. This was the third time that similar projects had been proposed on the same site. The first application was filed in March 2003, seeking a permit to make alterations to the façade and demolish the rest of the buildings.

In September of that year, the Mepa board refused that application. Eventual appeals and requests for reconsideration were also turned down, with the last refusal in May 2004.

Just over a year later, in December 2005, Mr Polidano filed an application proposing to turn two town houses into a block of 43 apartments and an underground car park for 121 cars while preserving the façades.

Din l-Art Ħelwa was among the main objectors to the project, pointing out that at least one of the properties was more than 300 years old and had been used by Grand Master De Rohan as his country residence.

In April 2007, the Mepa board refused the application but the developer appealed the decision, which was also turned down.

In July 2009, the board was again asked to reconsider its decision but even this request was rejected.