A planning tribunal turned down an application for an illegal pigeon loft in a residential area in Birkirkara, on grounds that the structure should not be in an urban area.

The loft does not have a place in a residential zone and its design was not compatible with the urban and residential area, it added.

“There is no doubt that this type of development would disturb the neighbours because of the smells and the impact the pigeons will have when they leave the loft,” the Environment and Planning Tribunal said in its decision.

The appeal was filed after a planning commission refused to sanction an illegal pigeon loft on a rooftop in Birkirkara.

The pigeon loft breached several planning policies and the structure was not cleared by the veterinary services.

The applicant had contested the refusal, saying the planning directorate and Malta Federation of Racing Pigeons had held “extensive discussions” for the applications of pigeon lofts. He also argued that the loft was detached from the neighbour’s wall. The authority argued that, with the exception of a permit for a pigeon loft in a residential area approved in 2002, all the other requests had been turned down.

In its decision, the tribunal noted that discussions had taken place with the authority over a pigeon loft but no policy or procedure had ever been approved.

The issue of bad neighbourliness was a main consideration for the planning authority, the tribunal noted.

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