Authorities object as sham Bidnija sheep farm owners seek further development

The developers behind the enormous sheep farm in a pristine Bidnija valley are ploughing ahead with the project and have applied to extend the development for the sheep to be able to graze and to build a large greenhouse.

The development is the subject of legal action regarding claims that the permit it had been given a few years ago was irregular.

As for the latest application, the Planning Authority’s agriculture experts appear to have suspected something was not quite right and have insisted that any further development on the site would be objectionable and not in the interest of agriculture.

In its latest analyses, the Agriculture Advisory Committee (AAC) noted that there are already many extra and unneeded rooms at the supposed farm, which has 40 female sheep and is not considered to be of any agricultural importance.

“There are several rooms which are not required such as: several stores, sick bays, incoming sheep/receiving area, product out – from upstairs, farmer’s/staff resting area, watchman room, admin area, entrance area, power room, logging station, excessive milking parlour,” the AAC said.

In other words, the AAC shot down the latest proposals and said it “has doubts that the proposal is for genuine farming activity”.

It also said that the developer’s proposal to utilise land next to the farm to graze sheep outdoors does not make any sense as sheep should be kept inside. Also, the addition of a greenhouse at the back of the building, which resembles a villa more than it does a farm, is also objectionable.

ERA and SCH also object to new plans

Near identical concerns and objections were raised once again by the Environment and Resources Authority and the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage during the latest round of consultation on the new application.

The SCH carried out a site inspection and objected to the application by stating that the greenhouse should not be allowed and that no further outdoor development should take place due to the environmental degradation the development has already wreaked on Ghajn Rihana Valley.

According to the Superintendence, the proposal is unacceptable as “it will constitute an increased negative visual impact on what already exists on the surrounding pristine cultural landscape and on long-distance views of the area.”

The ERA also reiterated its objections to any further development, insisting that the farm is completely out of place.

The sheep farm was approved by the Planning Authority in 2019 by the then-notorious Outside Development Zone permit boss Elizabeth Ellul.

Despite hundreds of objections, Ellul gave a green light for the development to turn a field into a supposed farm which its owner, architect Konrad Bezzina, also wanted to use as his residence.

The farmer used as the applicant for the project, Jason Vella, was also given clearance for a €150,000 EU grant to subsidise the building of the ‘sheep farm’.

Although Vella is still fronting the application, Planning Authority documents name Bidnija Farming Enterprises Ltd as the project’s owner.

That company is fully owned by Bezzina, while its former director, lawyer Peter Carbonaro, resigned soon after the scandal was reported in the media.