A decision on the proposed residence that lies outside the development zone, on the valley-side of Wied Għomor, on the outskirts of San Ġwann, will be made by the Planning Authority tomorrow.

The application is for minor alterations to a pre-1978 building to be turned into a small residence. The Case Officer for the application has rejected the alterations and, as such, noted that the “proposal cannot be favourably recommended”.

The conversion is being requested under the Rural Policy 2014, in particular, Policy 6.2C, which lists a number of criteria that must be satisfied if permission is granted for the rehabilitation of an existing building located outside the development zone.

A number of objections have been made to the application by several NGOs, residents and San Ġwann local council.

The main concern, as reported in the Case Officer’s report, is that the proposal fails to satisfy the provision of another part of the Rural Policy, which requires a minimum habitable area (internal space) of 100 sq. m.

According to the same report, the area identified in the application has a long site history – with the latest application being made in 2016 with the same description as the one to be determined on Monday. That application was withdrawn at the request of the architect.

Nature Trust, one of the objectors, noted that it questions the reason for using the property as a residence in an ODZ area immediately in front of cow farm. It said that the proposal contributes to urban sprawl in an ODZ area, would set a precedent and should therefore be rejected. Furthermore, it was said that Wied Għomor had been identified as public domain by Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Minister José Herrera.

Another objector noted that the building lies within the grounds of the Vella farm, and is only a few metres away from a recently approved residence for the dairy farmer on the site of the existing hay store of his farm.

A consultation was also held with the Environment & Resources Authority, which noted that the proposal is considered unjustified in the rural context, since it would introduce further urban development, encroachment and proliferation in Wied Għomor.

Another issue raised by Wirt San Ġwann and San Ġwann Local Council, as well as by residents, was that the owner of the building in question already had an established residence elsewhere, meaning that the proposal goes against the rural policy which is that only one dwelling per farm tenant is permitted.

Environmentalist Michael Briguglio, who has long been active in the preservation of Wied Għomor, has appealed for the area not to lose the serenity it has at the moment, apart from the fact that the proposal goes against the Rural Policy.