The Planning Authority on Tuesday continued demolishing an old factory built illegally in Mrieħel.

Demolition works had started in January but were brought by a complete standstill after a court upheld an injunction filed by the factory owner.

The factory had been built along Mdina road, outside the development zone, in the 1980s. 

When Planning Authority personnel first showed up at the site, they discovered more than 300 hens, pigeons and rabbits as well parrots and a cat. The animals were handed to the Animal Welfare Directorate, which had assured that it had no intention of of putting them to sleep. 

The illegalities that are being removed include a large one-storey building, with some rooms on the rooftop, the formation of a long concrete driveway and platform, boundary walls and the deposit of inert material around the site. 

The Planning Authority is leading this operation in close coordination with the Environment and Resources Authority, Wasteserv and the police to ensure the proper handling of the substantial volume of mixed waste present in the premises.

The operation is estimated to last a couple of days.

The authority had refused to grant planning permission when an outline development application was submitted in 1999 to seek to retain the building.

This decision had been confirmed by the Appeals Board.