The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has approved the preliminary environmental programme for the proposed Six Senses Comino development, with project developer HV Hospitality saying the decision followed a detailed review process and public consultation.
The approval allows site preparation works to proceed, including landscaping, pre-construction surveys and the installation of hoarding, subject to a number of conditions. HV Hospitality said all documentation requested by the authority had been submitted and that comprehensive method statements had been presented for both tree interventions and preparatory works.
The decision follows criticism from environmental NGO Moviment Graffitti, which had urged ERA to refuse the permit while legal proceedings over the wider development remain ongoing.
Earlier this week, the NGO warned that the authority was set to approve the removal of around 800 trees from the Comino nature reserve to facilitate the construction of a 71-room hotel, 16 villas and 44 swimming pools. It argued that granting the permit before the court challenge on the planning permit is concluded would be premature and could lead to irreversible environmental damage.
HV Hospitality rejected those claims, describing the figure of 800 trees as inaccurate.
The company said there are approximately 2,500 trees and shrubs on the site, around 1,900 of which are alien, invasive or ecologically incompatible species whose removal is necessary to restore native habitats.
It added that of the roughly 600 native and protected trees and shrubs currently on site, around 550 will be carefully transplanted, while approximately 50 will be permanently removed. Each removed specimen will be compensated at a ratio of 1:10, resulting in the planting of around 500 replacement trees.
According to the company, all transplantation and removal works will be carried out under specialist ecological supervision during the winter months to maximise the chances of successful transplantation.
HV Hospitality said the wider environmental programme would introduce around 55,000 new trees and plants—more than 20 times the current vegetation on the site—and restore more than 8,200 square metres of previously developed land to its natural state.
The company also stressed that the permit approved by ERA relates solely to preliminary environmental and site preparation works.
It noted that the next phase of the project, covering the demolition of the existing buildings and the construction of the Six Senses Comino hotel and bungalows, remains subject to the outcome of ongoing court appeal proceedings concerning the planning permit.
The proposed redevelopment of the former Comino Hotel site continues to face legal challenges from environmental organisations, with proceedings before the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal still unresolved.
Momentum condemns approval of works
Momentum has criticised the Environment and Resources Authority's decision to approve works which it said would pave the way for the removal of hundreds of trees on Comino, describing the move as "yet another blow to the environment".
The party said in a statement that the decision came at a time when communities in Malta and Gozo were witnessing the loss of trees and green spaces almost daily, adding that it sent the message that environmental protection continued to take second place to development interests.
Momentum said residents across the islands were protesting against the destruction of trees, objecting to overdevelopment and calling for more green public spaces, yet authorities continued approving decisions which it said undermined public trust and weakened the natural environment "for the benefit of the few who keep on enriching themselves on what should belong to all".
The party also questioned how the decision fit with the government's electoral slogan, "Ħolma Tiegħek. Proġett Tagħna", asking what the promise meant if valleys, open spaces and hundreds of trees continued to be sacrificed.
Momentum executive member Katya Compagno said the government "cannot claim to champion environmental protection while allowing these shocking decisions that lead to the large-scale destruction of trees and habitats".
"Fine words and electoral slogans mean little if they are not reflected in action," she said.
Momentum called on the government to explain how the decision was compatible with its repeated commitments to environmental protection and to clarify what concrete steps it intended to take to ensure Malta's remaining natural areas, including Comino, were genuinely safeguarded for future generations, the statement said.