Comino road resurfacing works ‘do not require Planning Authority permission’ – PA

The road resurfacing works ongoing in Comino do not require permission from the Planning Authority, a spokesperson for the authority told The Malta Independent.

On Monday, Friends of the Earth Malta had condemned what it called ‘illegal roadworks’ at the iconic Blue Lagoon in Comino.

The NGO had said that contrary to the impression being given by the Ministry for Gozo, “who in their statement stated that there was clearance from the relevant authorities, Friends of the Earth Malta can confirm that the outline application for these works is still pending and that the case officer’s report recommends a refusal based on the fact that the proposal lacks the necessary information to enable complete assessment in terms of environmental and landscape requirements.”

According to the PA website, the case status of the application for the site reads that the application process, dating back to 2018, is currently suspended at the architect’s request.

The NGO had said that while acknowledging that the path in question was subjected to weathering and required some form of intervention, “we believe that no Ministry or entity should be above the law as this is not only a form of environmental injustice, but will also in the long-term backfire thanks to those who in the short term are trying to bypass the laws and regulation in their quest to gain more political popularity and votes.”

The Malta Independent sent a number of questions to the Planning Authority, asking whether there is permission for the works to take place and, if not, what action the PA will be taking.

“Kindly note that the resurfacing works are being carried out by the Ministry for Gozo on an existing access. In relation to any works relating to this site, the Ministry has made a declaration in terms of article 70(2)(d) of the Development Planning Act (2016), i.e. that these are “emergency works in relation to public safety carried out by Government”. Therefore, no permission is required from the Planning Authority since these works are not defined as ‘development’. This does not exonerate the Ministry from obtaining the necessary clearances from other regulatory entities.”