Moviment Graffitti is today publishing footage that it said, ”shows the environmental destruction across Gozo and Malta – the result of faulty planning laws.

The organisation highlighted that in particular, the footage shows the environmental destruction which has marred Qala.

It said that the permit (PA/08143/21) for enormous pools in the Qala ODZ was declared illegal by the courts last March, ”but because of the way that the appeals law currently works, the works were commenced and completed while the appeals process was still ongoing.”

”The story of Qala shows the endless abuses that exist in a planning sector ruled by developers. When, in 2021, it was reported that developer Joseph Portelli and his associates had begun digging two enormous pools without permits in Qala’s ODZ,” Moviment Graffitti said it immediately reported the illegality to the Planning Authority.

However, Graffitti argued that ”despite this, the illegal works, as can be seen in the video, continued with absolute impunity. Joseph Portelli even publicly admitted that while it was true that there was no permit for the works, he claimed to have done nothing wrong as he was sure he would be eventually granted the aforementioned permits.”

The organisation added that in fact, after a while, he did apply for the permits for two illegal pools on ODZ land, and after a few months, the Planning Authority approved them.

Moviment Graffitti and the Qala Local Council banded together and appealed these permits. The courts revoked the permits and declared the pools illegal.

Despite this, Graffitti stated that ”because of a defective law which permits illegal buildings to begin and reach completion during the appeals stage, these pools were already built. The same applies to a large part of the enormous building that buried Qala, exactly next to these pools.”

It pointed out that the Planning Tribunal (EPRT) revoked the permit (PA/09606/19) for 63 apartments across four stories, but these too had already been built in the meantime.

Even thought Prime Minister Robert Abela promised a reform to the appeals law in May of 2023, the reform has not yet occurred, the organisation said.

Graffitti went on to say that as can be seen in the footage, ”this absurd law has not only left environmental destruction in Qala, but also in Mistra, and in countless other cases.”

In April 2024, Moviment Graffitti said it asked the Prime Minister to enact this reform and to remove the ODZ pools in Qala. ”Til now, nothing has been done.”

Moviment Graffitti concluded by saying that ”while the government is always quick to go out of its way to serve the interests of developers, it works at a snail’s pace, or does nothing at all, regarding the reforms that are necessary to provide a shred of decency to the planning sector – Some are more equal than others.”

Photo and video Moviment Graffitti

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