Nearly 100 objections have already been submitted against a controversial application for the construction of an aparthotel on agricultural land outside the development zone in Mellieħa.
The objections were registered in a few days after the proposal came to light at the start of last week when a Planning Authority notice was put up at the plot of land earmarked for the project.
Located in Marfa Road, next to the cemetery dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy, the proposal is for a nine-storey aparthotel comprising 118 rooms, underground parking for 38 vehicles and a number of shops.
Though Carol Peralta, a former magistrate, is listed as the applicant, some of the designs submitted so far are on behalf of Joseph Gaffarena whose son, Mark, made headlines over a 2015 Valletta property deal since branded ‘the Gaffarena scandal’.
The scandal erupted when The Sunday Times of Malta reported that Mark Gaffarena had made a profit of €685,000 on the sale of half a palazzo in Valletta to the government, just a few weeks after he had acquired it.
Subsequently, an investigation by the National Audit Office, concluded that there had been collusion between the Lands Department and Mr Gaffarena. The deal was revoked in March last year, following a court case instituted by the Prime Minister.
When contacted for his reaction and to explain his relationship with Joseph Gaffarena, Dr Peralta replied: “I am a private citizen and have every right to file an application like everybody else.”
Locality is fast losing its charm due to overdevelopment
Dr Peralta declined to comment any further.
The objections filed so far, mostly by Mellieħa and Għadira Bay residents, were on grounds that the plot of land, which has a footprint of 5,500 square metres, would be a dangerous precedent as it would encourage further development of land outside the development zone. Moreover, they expressed concerns the locality was fast losing its charm due to overdevelopment.
“The very fact that I’m seeing my hometown being butchered and sundered by this rampant construction is not only heartbreaking but disgusting,” one objector remarked.
He warned that the building of more hotels would risk killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
“I’ve heard from numerous relatives, friends and acquaintances that most regular visitors they know have stopped coming to Malta and are no longer recommending it as a holiday destination. Also, residents are leaving not only the town but the island due to the state of our country’s environment, pollution levels and constant construction, which, as I’m sure you know, would not help,” he said.
Objections were also raised with regard to the site’s immediate proximity to the adjacent cemetery as this would impede any future extension and, possibly, give rise to other issues.