Both the St Julian’s and Swieqi Local Councils are calling the Planning Authority to reject the controversial Wied Ghomor guesthouse application, which will be decided on Wednesday.

In a statement, the councils said that "the site is outside the development zone, a protected valley and an area of high Landscape sensitivity. Furthermore the site itself falls within a scheduled Level 4 Area of Ecological Importance.

The Wied Għomor valley is situated in between highly urbanised areas and hence functions as one of the few remaining green lungs. Besides agricultural functions, it also serves as a water catchment area and a source of irrigation water. The protection of such areas is laid down in the Strategic Plan for the Environment and the relative Local Plan, the councils said.

The RPDG2014 document does not allow commercial activities in ODZ, except for those related to agriculture / farming, and there can be NO interpretation of this regulation.

For the above reasons we are calling on the PA to list these very valid reasons for refusal in its decision to send out a clear and resounding message that citizen's health and environment must be protected. The cumulative effect of such development must not be allowed to choke St Julian's. We ask what has become of the proposal to designate Wied Ghomor a public domain site, while it suffers from the onslaught of outrageous proposals, the councils said.