Gozitan developer Joseph Portelli, who last week made headlines with the impromptu development on public land in the picturesque bay of San Blas, which he claims to be his, is yet again in the spot-light with another controversial development this time in Triq Federico Barocci Qala Gozo. After the San Blas story was revealed yesterday by The Malta Independent on Sunday, Mepa sent its enforcement officers today to investigate the development. The story and exclusive photos published by this newsroom drew the attention of other sections of the media who trailed behind The Malta Independent to get a glimpse of what was going on and possibly snatch a picture or two.
In the meantime GWU newspaper L-Orizzont today published another story involving the same developer behind the San Blas development Joseph Portelli, who by the looks of it has managed to convince MEPA to reverse a decision that had refused to issue a permit for development in Qala after establishing that Portelli ordered the removal of protected trees in Qala and a rubble wall without having applied to do so. MEPA had said that Portelli eradicated a number of trees from the face of the earth to make way for a residence and pool. Now, L-Orizzont reports, MEPA has welcomed the developer’s appeal and ordered Mepa’s Secretary to issue a permit within 30 days.
The Malta Independent on Sunday revealed that the same developer, Joseph Portelli, took a sizeable patch of land in San Blas, cleared it of all vegetation, installed a metal gate, erected a canopy structure, torn down rubble walls to make way for what sources said will become a camping site and a kiosk or an exclusive beach area for a Gozitan hotel. Speaking to The Malta Independent journalists, in front of other media who trailed by, Joseph Portelli insisted that the land is his and that he is challenging the lands department that states the contrary.
In the meantime, on the Qala development where MEPA over-turned its original decision, the developer who is also building the mega 113 apartment project in Swieqi, got away with a 1,000 euros fine. The permit for the Qala development had been refused due to the fact that the development did not include a façade on what is referred to as a ‘scheme road’, where access to the development has to be no less than 20 metres. On this point, the developer had insisted that the site had access from a ‘public’ alley.
The proposed development calls for the building of a residence and a pool, while also calling for the sanctioning for the removal of trees and a rubble wall (a traditionally built Maltese wall known in Maltese as hajt tas sejjieh). It is understood that the site in question plays host to a protected tree, including a carob tree.
Asked on his connections with MEPA CEO Johann Buttigieg, Joseph Portelli denied any connection to the MEPA CEO on the San Blas issue saying, “Daqs kemm ili ma narah hawn lil Johann." (I haven’t seen Johann here in ages.)