‘Request submitted’ to withdraw PA application on ODZ land – Toni Bezzina
Nationalist Party MP Toni Bezzina said that a request has been submitted to the Planning Authority to withdraw the application for development on Outside Development Zone land in Mdina.
Mr Bezzina was contacted after Glenn Bedingfield, said that the application has not been withdrawn.
Replying to questions by The Malta Independent, Mr Bezzina’s terse reply was that: “A request has been submitted to the Planning Authority to withdraw planning application PA7854/16 accordingly”.
Last Sunday, Mr Bezzina said that he would withdraw his application on ODZ land “in the coming days”, for what he says was the restoration of historic existing structures which are currently in a dilapidated state.
A story which originally appeared in the Labour Party newspaper KullHadd said that MP Bezzina applied to build a villa which includes a swimming pool at a Rabat site which is on ODZ land.
The newspaper report said that the development would have consisted of three bedrooms, washrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen etc.
The MP said in his statement that most of the KullHadd story is not true, and that there was no application filed by his wife to construct a villa.
“Despite all this, through my loyalty for the PN, I will be withdrawing the application for the restoration of the dilapidated historical structure,” he said when the story first emerged.
He said that he understands that principles come first in politics.
“This is the difference between the PN and the Castille clique led by the most corrupt government in Malta’s history,” he said.
The application as appears on the Planning Authority website is for the “Rehabilitation and restoration of existing almond grove and World War II living quarters and observation room. Proposed pool and new access.”
In reaction, the PL said Mr Bezzina was lying in his statement.
“First of all, he says that the application is not his and his wife’s, only to say that he will withdraw it. Secondly, he applied for a villa with a pool and garage among others on ODZ land. He is lying when he says that he applied solely to restore two dilapidated buildings.
A press conference held by Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said that the actions of Mr Bezzina exposed the complete lack of credibility the PN has in terms of ODZ policies and the environment.
He also spoke of how Mr Bezzina failed to withdraw his application when Din L-Art Helwa, an environment NGO objected, and only did so when it was featured on KullHadd newspaper and was picked up by other sections of the media.
This was backed up by Alternattiva Demokratika ‘s chairperson Arnold Cassola who took umbrage at the fact that Mr Bezzina would simply be withdrawing the application because of the attention it drew, when he should resign from the PN.