The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change José Herrera, said the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has recently appealed the decision taken regarding permission for a villa in Qala, in an area known as Ta’ Muxi.

He explained that notwithstanding the fact that the permission was withdrawn by the applicant, the appeal had to be made to remove the precedent that was created when such permission was granted.

The Minister also noted with with satisfaction the recent decisions taken by the Court of Appeal and the Board of the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal, which were repealed on the extension of a restaurant at Dwejra and for the development of a dilapidated house into a villa on a Zebbug ridge.

Minister Herrera stressed that they need to continue to work on a useful radical reform policy of ODZ, to remove anomalies that are existing in this policy, thereby leading to further safeguarding of ODZ.

This reform will also lead to the relevant institutions not to have to make such appeals because permits would be rejected immediately, he said.

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