Six organisations and over a hundred individuals have filed a collective action for the revocation of the permit for the infamous "sheep farm" in the previously pristine Ħżejjen valley in Bidnija, Moviment Graffitti said in a statement.

This action was made possible thanks to the numerous contributions by the public to a crowdfunding campaign by the NGO where the necessary amount needed for the institution of legal actions against this travesty was reached within a few days.

Since this planning application (PA/07946/18) was accepted in 2019, environmental organisations, the media and the general public have been chronicling the construction of this massive structure in the middle of an entirely rural Outside Development Zone (ODZ), featuring ecologically important freshwater habitats.

Many were left baffled at how a two-storey structure, with reception areas and a swimming pool on its roof, was approved by the Planning Authority (PA) on the pretext of it being a sheep farm.

It is clear that this permit was granted under false pretences. The PA’s case officer conveniently omitted to mention those policies which clearly and unequivocally state that there can be no development in such sensitive sites.

There are other suspicious omissions and discrepancies evident in the granting of this permit for development. This is not a genuine sheep farm but a pretext for building a commercial hotel in a protected valley, as has been proven by the subsequent application (PA/5895/22) asking for this structure to be transformed into a retail outlet with guest rooms.

Now several NGOs and many individuals have banded together to file an application for the revocation of this obscene permit. "We will not stand by while the PA treats the public with disdain and allows the destruction of the natural environment," Graffitti said.