A court has dismissed a request for the issue of a warrant to stop Mepa from issuing a full development permit for a telecommunications hub at Dwejra, Malta.

The request was made by Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Ramblers' Association (Malta) BirdLife Malta, Nature Trust (Malta), Friends of the Earth, Malta, the Malta Organic Agricultural Movement, Rabat Local Council and a number of property owners. 

Dr Jan Spiteri, as the applicant for the permit was later called into the suit.

His proposal was for the building of a 30-metre communications tower at one end of the site and the use of an existing room at the other end, with three transmitting rooms, a small toilet and a generator room.

Mr Justice Joseph R Micallef in the First Hall of the Civil Court heard that Dr Spiteri had filed an application for the telecommunications hub in 2006. In June 2013 Mepa had issued a non-executable permit subject to various conditions including the reaching of an agreement with the Malta Communications Authority. The agreement was reached in November of last year.

The applicants requested the court to prohibit Mepa from rendering the said permit executable.

But the court concluded that applicants had failed to prove that they had a prima facie right that merited protection, nor had they shown that they would suffer irremediable harm if the warrant was not issued.