The planning authority yesterday postponed the decision on whether to sanction infringements at Patrick Dalli’s Żejtun farmhouse, citing lack of information.
The Mepa board put off the decision for a month, the second time it has done so.
It said it needed more time to prepare a report on new plans that were submitted by Mr Dalli following the case officer’s recommendation that the application for sanctioning be refused.
The farmhouse, located in an Outside Development Zone, came into the spotlight after Times of Malta reported workers on site despite an enforcement notice served on Mr Dalli for breaching permit conditions.
Both Mr Dalli and his wife, Equal Opportunities Minister Helena Dalli, had said they were not aware workmen were on site. Their own home is a few metres away.
Planning Commissioner David Pace, from the Ombudsman’s office, has concluded the case raises issues that are in the public interest and worthy of investigation.
The Opposition had argued that the planning authority should have dismissed the hearing because of the recent infringements, according to the Environment and Planning Act. Mepa countered there had been no further “development” on site.
The bone of contention is therefore what is considered to be an infringement once an enforcement notice has been served. This is one of the points the Ombudsman’s office wants to look into.
Mr Dalli was not present at the hearing yesterday and was represented by his architect. The promise of sale agreement Mr Dallirepeatedly promised to publish has still not been made public.
Last November, he had told Times of Malta he had given it to his lawyer “to hand over to The Times”. Attempts to reach the lawyer on the number given by Mr Dalli proved futile.
The document presented in Parliament by his wife was not the actual promise of sale agreement, according to a notary. The document was only an extension lacking details.
Mr Dalli is the majority shareholder in Pada Builders Limited, which owns the house. But he is defending the permit application being considered by Mepa.