Update below with Gozo Minister’s reaction. An appeal by the promoters of the Hondoq ir-Rummien project in Gozo, has been turned down by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT).

This follows a 20-year fight by Qala Local Council, its Mayor Paul Buttigieg, NGOs, residents of Qala and everyone who loves the beautiful bay of Hondoq.

Mayor Paul Buttigieg thanked Lawyer Dr Claire Bonello who has represented the Council on the case, “as well as all those that have supported us along these twenty years.”

In a statement, the ERPT said that in 2016, the PA’s Planning Board unanimously voted against granting an outline development permit to construct a destination port comprising a hotel, a yacht marina, and a tourist village.

The Board cited that although the Gozo and Comino Local Plan promoted the rehabilitation of the damaged landscape resulting from the past quarrying activity in Hondoq ir-Rummien, the type, scale and density of the proposed project by far exceeds the interventions considered acceptable for the area, it said.

Update – Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri, writing on Facebook said, “today I am pleased to note the decision of the Planning Tribunal which confirmed that development should not take place in Hondoq.”

“Both when I was Mayor of Qala and later as Minister for Gozo I always stated my opinion against the development in Hondoq ir-Rummien. This was also stated several times by the Labour Party and in the respective election manifestos,” the Minister added.

He went on to say that, “surely a large part of the credit goes to Mayor Paul Buttigieg and the Qala councillors both present and past for their work over the years where they put the interest of the locals first and foremost over everything.”

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