The planning authority was forced to postpone a decision on a two-storey winery in Bidnija yesterday after a court issued a temporary order to stop the case being heard.

The ruling followed a request by a group of residents who are also appealing the planning authority’s 2006 decision to give the winery the first go-ahead – what is known technically as outline permit.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority was yesterday expected to make its final decision on the project, but the residents felt this should be postponed until the appeal was concluded and asked the court to halt the hearing.

The appeal process was delayed after the applicant’s lawyer, Ian Stafrace, pulled out of the case this week following allegations of conflict of interest by the residents. The hearing will now take place next month.

Dr Stafrace served as the planning authority’s CEO until recently and residents complained that the applicant had an unfair advantage with him as his representative.

Dr Stafrace explained that he had had nothing to do with the outline permit when he served as CEO but still opted to pull out. The case on the winery has had many twists and turns along the years. Mepa had initially refused the permit but the appeals tribunal overturned the decision.

Then, last month, the objecting residents demanded the revocation of the permit, claiming it was based on wrong information by the applicant and went against established planning policies.

Lawyer Joanne Vella Cuschieri, representing some of the residents, argued that the appeals board should revoke the outline permit because the projectwas not in line with the agricultural policy, which demanded that the applicant had to have two hectares of vineyard holdings within 500 metres.

The Mosta local council and environmental NGOs Nature Trust and the Ramblers Association are among the objectors.