Ta’ Susina hosts various animals, such as cranes and kangaroos. Photo: Facebook

Business continues as usual at Ta’ Susina Farmhouse in Żebbug, a restaurant and entertainment venue with an animal park, despite a planning authority enforcement notice served on the owner nine years ago.

In 2005, Mepa issued a notice on Noel Xuereb after he built a swimming pool, concrete passageway, boundary wall and fence and various rooms without a permit.

When The Sunday Times of Malta called Mr Xuereb to ask whether entertainment activities were still organised on the premises, he said the place was not rented out for functions but events were organised on site.

“We organise our own events around dinners, such as suckling pig. On Saturdays and Sundays we open up as a restaurant,” Mr Xuereb said.

When it was noted that he lacked the necessary permits, Mr Xuereb said he had filed an application with the authority.

Yet Mepa documents refer only to the enforcement notice on the site and the fact the development permit was refused. Mr Xuereb then said matters were in the hands of his architect.

“I don’t know what he’s doing or how things stand exactly. I will talk to my architect,” Mr Xuereb said.

The planning authority has 8,000 pending enforcement cases, some dating back to the early 1990s. It manages to carry out fewer than 1,000 enforcement actions in a year.

At this rate, it would take at least another eight years for Mepa to catch up – and that is if no other enforcement notices are issued to add to the backlog.

Last week, Times of Malta revealed another illegal restaurant and entertainment venue in Qormi continues to promote itself for group and dinner parties.

Cavett Place, also known as Taċ-Ċavett, at Ħandaq Industrial Zone was served with an enforcement notice in 2012.

The notice was served on Marco Gaffarena, listed as the contravener. He is one of the owners of the Gaffarena petrol station in Qormi, which was given a ‘temporary’ permit to operate despite illegalities on site.

An Auditor General report tabled in Parliament in October concluded that “over a number of years, the planning authority’s enforcement function has lacked an adequate level of resources and administrative capacity”.