A total of 624 non-protected trees and shrubs at the Comino Hotel site are set to be removed, 467 of which are oleanders planted as ornamental landscaping for the former hotel, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) said.
ERA provided the breakdown in a statement detailing the vegetation interventions approved as part of the preliminary environmental programme for the proposed Six Senses Comino development.
The authority said the works mainly concern vegetation planted for the previous hotel's landscaping and are largely limited to the existing hotel footprint.
The 467 oleanders account for the majority of the 624 non-protected specimens that will be removed.
In addition to the non-protected vegetation, 54 protected trees will also be removed. ERA said the Hili Group has been required to plant 10 indigenous trees for every protected tree removed, resulting in 540 new indigenous trees.
A compensation plan will have to be submitted to ERA for approval before it is implemented, with the authority saying this will ensure appropriate species are selected for the site.
Another 348 trees will be transplanted to locations within the project site. All but seven of these trees are protected.
ERA said any tree that does not survive transplantation will also have to be compensated for through the planting of 10 new trees.
The authority said the approved interventions concern trees and shrubs that were planted as part of the former hotel's landscaping and that its decisions are based on scientific advice from its experts and Malta's environmental legislation.
The latest figures provide a more detailed breakdown of the vegetation affected by the environmental programme, following ERA's approval of the works.
The wider Six Senses Comino project, being developed by HV Hospitality, a subsidiary of Hili Group, includes a 71-room hotel, 16 villas and 44 swimming pools.
The development has been approved by the Planning Authority but is currently subject to an appeal brought by environmental NGOs.
The ERA decision has been criticised by environmental groups, which had called on the authority to postpone consideration of the environmental programme until the planning appeal is resolved.
HV Hospitality has previously disputed claims that around 800 trees would be removed from the site, describing that figure as inaccurate.
The company has said there are approximately 2,500 trees and shrubs on the site, including around 1,900 alien, invasive or ecologically incompatible species, whose removal it says is necessary to allow native habitats to recover.