The Mepa board today turned down approval of what looked like minor amendments to the already approved permits for the AX Holdings Village of the Elderly in Tas-Simblija, between Iklin and Naxxar.

A full development permit had already been issued in 2013 but AX Holdings would have wanted to amend that especially since the Mepa board in 2013 did not allow two of the penthouse levels asked for.

The site is technically an ODZ but for long years the site, owned by MrXuereb's father first and then by Angelo Xuereb, was a batching plant.

Over the past years, Mr Xuereb had conceived of turning the whole site into a Village for the Elderly with three blocks of residences, a swimming pool, a chapel, a spa and now also a childcare centre - in all a €43 million project on 16,200 sqms. An innovative tunnel would connect the two huge reservoirs on site so that the village would aim to become a truly ecological centre.

In support of their new application, AX brought in ADI which tried to show that the two penthouses on two blocks could be accommodated with no loss to anyone. ADI argued that the nearby MCAST building, as they kept calling it although it is in reality a secondary school and the new intermediate school would be higher.

However, neighbours were against approval of this application and some of them turned up at the sitting arguing the building of the village would dwarf their bungalows and block out the sun.

ADI also argued the site has more than enough parking and would employ 75 people to care for the 238 patients in the village. Another small change would be the removal of terraces in the ground floor flats that will be reserved for patients with dementia.

But the Directorate remained adamant that this application should be refused.

At that point the principal players took over - on the one side a hoarse Angelo Xuereb and on the other the Mepa chairman Vince Cassar.

Mr Cassar asked Mr Xuereb what is the state of the development and Mr Xuereb downplayed it a bit by saying they closed off the stairs and put up an opramorta, a low wall around the roof.

That is not the information I have, the chairman rebutted, showing photos taken yesterday showing work going on and rooms being built up to roof level. Mr Xuereb defended himself against accusation by the neighbours: he removed the batching plant and al its dust and took it all the way to Hal Far. Furthermore he changed the delivery area to underground so thatb delivery trucks do not obstruct the cars on the public roads.

At the end, the chairman offered Mr Xuereb a choice: either submit to the vote and risk refusal or else take four weeks to remove what had been done illegally, forget the twoadditional penthouses and come back to the board.

Mr Xuereb said the project had been targeted to be opened in September and is already late. He preferred to take Option A.

Not one board member voted to approve the application and all voted to refuse it.