A new planning application for the site of the Festaval hotel in Mellieha has been filed.

The site is located very close to the Red Tower and is on land located outside the development zone. The Festaval hotel date back to 1980 and was designed by architect Richard England in the late 70s. It was quickly abandoned and is today engulfed by nature and trees from the Foresta 2000 nature reserve.

The applicant, Mizzi Estates, is proposing the demolition of the existing hotel buildings "covered by permit PB/03038/87" and the reconstruction of the "same hotel as built in line with same permit" and that it will retain the number of floor levels as built, The building gross floor area as built, the number of rooms as built and the footprint as built. The description of the application is identical to the description of the last application for the site which was withdrawn by the same applicant last year.

Last September, the previous application was withdrawn after the case officer had recommended that the application be refused. The reason for the refusal recommendation, was that the applicant failed to submit a Traffic Scoping Statement, a Tourism Compliance Certificate by the Malta Tourism Authority, and conclusions / recommendations from the Environment and Resources Authority within the stipulated time-frames.