The Naxxar Lions Football Club can continue using its rented premises in Naxxar Square, after the lessors lost the court case requesting the termination of the lease claiming that alterations to the building’s structure had been made without their permission.

The court, presided by Magistrate Giovanni Grixti, considered the football club’s version that the owners knew about the structural changes that needed to be done. These changes were also visible from outside the club, they argued.

The lawsuit was filed by Lilian Martinelli, Robert Santucci, Rosario Vincent Santucci, Vincent Santucci and Carmelina Pisani against the football club president Michael Zammit Tabona and secretary Daniel Sullivan.

According to the owners, the club is not being used as originally agreed and the structural changes were carried out without the required permits, as stipulated by the law. The changes were considerable in a way that changed the building’s style, they said.

The owners’ architect argued that the building used as a football club is a two-storey townhouse with a basement. With the changes, the house lost its characteristics of an old townhouse, typical of old town squares surrounding the parish church in the village’s centre, he said.

The owners added that internal walls have been removed from each floor and all the ceilings have been changed while two new rooms were built up on the roof. The architect said that where the walls have been removed, new metal beams were laid to support the ceilings and the ceilings were replaced with bricks laid on concrete beams.

A Malta Environment and Planning Authority representative confirmed that the structural works were carried out without its permits.

Additionally, the court considered the fact the building has been rented by the club for over 65 years. During this time a lot of structural works were carried out on the place.

The court understood that the alterations were carried out without the Mepa permits, however this was not the point raised in the lawsuit. The court also considered that one of the complainants often passed by the club: Thus she could have seen the works being carried out and it is impossible that she didn’t know about them.

Dr Mark Busuttil appeared for the Naxxar Lions Football Club while Dr Toni Abela appeared for the owners.