An illegally built underground car park at the Archbishop’s Seminary, in Rabat, was yesterday sanctioned by the planning authority, which imposed a fine of €2,300 and a planning gain of €10,000.

The planning gain, requested in lieu of the potential loss of any archeological findings that may have existed on site, was initially calculated at €92,000 but was reduced to €10,000 after it was noted that the Seminary is an educational, philanthropic institution.

The application filed yesterday included sanctioning other minor internal and external modifications at the Tal-Virtù school.

Planning authority imposed a €2,300 fine and a planning gain of €10,000

The sitting was animated with priests disputing arguments by residents that the project increased noise pollution and traffic in a residential priority area.

The issue of a permit to extend the existing secondary school by adding a primary school and a car park had infuriated Rabat residents. More than 200 signed a petition calling on the Archbishop to stop the construction.

The car park has 55 spaces with access from Godwin Ganado Street. This, together with the ground parking area, adds up to 109 spaces. The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage had not been consulted on the car park works, which had already been carried out without monitoring.

The superintendence drew attention to the archaeological sensitivity of the area, noting remains might have been destroyed by the works, the case report said.

The case officer recommended approving the application, as “the sanctioning can be permitted since, as noted by Transport Malta, it will provide more on-site parking spaces for the school and facilitate off-street parking for Tal-Virtù residential area”.

The board decided to issue a planning permit for the development of an illegally excavated basement car park that was constructed underneath the already approved car park facility within the Seminary.