An application to sanction illegal developments in a Naxxar property belonging to Mark Gaffarena has been approved by the Planning Authority just seven months after it rejected the application.

The reversal of the Planning Commission’s original decision in December 2015 was made last August after Mr Gaffarena successfully managed to win an appeal annulling the commission’s decision.

A spokesman for the authority confirmed that Mr Gaffarena has been granted permission to sanction the illegalities at his property in Naxxar after “the appeals board annulled the commission’s [decision] and requested that the application is decided again.”

According to the spokesman, following a site inspection by the Planning Commission headed by Elizabeth Ellul, Mr Gaffarena was requested to carry out a number of amendments to the plans.

“Subsequently, the application got approved,” the authority spokesman said.

The decision of the planning commission was taken by two of its three members as architect Mariello Spiteri – the third member – did not participate in the vote as he declared a conflict of interest.

Asked what was Mr Spiteri’s conflict of interest, the authority spokesman said the commission members were not obliged to declare the reason.

Efforts to contact Mr Spiteri at his Mosta office yesterday were unsuccessful.

The illegalities at the Naxxar property included two bedrooms built over a public lane and abutting on another property in St Lucy Street.

The case officer had originally recommended a refusal of the permit. He had said that according to drawings submitted by Giorgio Schembri, Mr Gaffarena’s architect, “the sanctioning of the roofing over a part of a public lane that was camouflaged by indicating the last part of the lane as if it were a garage when in fact it gives access to a public area and a number of garages”.

In past years, Mr Gaffarena’s name has become synonymous with developments without permit, the major case being the family’s petrol station in Luqa that was permitted to operate only through a revised policy following Labour’s return to power.

Mr Gaffarena last year was also the main cause for the resignation of Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon following improper dealings found by the National Audit Office between the Land Department and Mr Gaffarena over a government property in Valletta’s Old Mint Street.

ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com