A total of 110 residents living close to Pender Place yesterday filed yet another judicial protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court against Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) chairman Andrew Calleja and members of the authority’s board.

The residents said that they did not object to the original plans submitted in October 2005 but realised only recently, following reports in the local media, that the proposed development will affect the area negatively.

They explained that they discovered several irregularities in the development process of the application.

In the protest, the residents pointed out that the outline in the original plan and application for Pender Place showed a six-storey building in the central part of the project area.

However, they added, the plans changed radically in the last few weeks to include two skyscrapers – 20 and 23 storeys high – and other building blocks varying between eight and 12 storeys high.

The residents said that Mepa went against its own processing procedure to include these radical changes in the project without reissuing the plans and designs for public consultation, as it should have.

The applicant only issued “an innocent” version of the outline application and only submitted the true version of the project just before the public hearing, they said.

“All the developer has to do is lobby with the members of the authority or the Development Control Commission that will adjudicate the project,” they said.

The residents pointed out that this is done on a regular basis, especially since this project was given ministerial go-ahead and the members of the board depend on the ministry’s approval.

Through this subterfuge, they added, the residents were not given the opportunity to register their objections for the final version of the project.

The residents said that, regardless of the enormous changes in the project, all the members of the authority’s board did not object to manipulating the application process and became accomplices of the developers when they approved the project on 1 February.

Furthermore, they said, the developers are camouflaging the true impact of the project through paid adverts in local newspapers claiming that the area will have gardens and living spaces, when it will actually become a concentration of high buildings suffocating the surrounding area.

In the protest, the residents requested the board members to revoke their approval of the application and not to process or approve any further applications before the amended designs and plans are published.

The residents said they held the board members personally responsible for all the damages caused and that will be caused in the future by their irresponsible and abusive behaviour.

The protest was signed by Dr Ian Refalo.