Environment minister’s brother-in-law turns fields into sprawling villa

Philip Vella, the brother-in-law of Environment Minister Miriam Dalli and son of former EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella, has turned a supposedly agricultural area on ODZ land in Zurrieq into a villa complete with an illegal pool and spacious paved outdoor areas.

Over the last decade, the illegal development has been carried out in a typical piecemeal fashion, with permits issued by the Planning Authority despite repeated disapproval by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA).

Vella’s property enjoys views of Wied Babu and beyond, in an area called Tal-Gargir, on the outskirts of Zurrieq. Yet there is no sign of any agricultural activity.

Pictures posted on the Planning Authority website and others, including aerial images, clearly show that Vella’s ‘fields’ are, in fact, a luxury villa in which he lives with his family.

Vella also illegally built a ‘reservoir’, which ERA states he uses as a pool, and he paved some 500 square metres of fields without permits.

A typical illegal development

Until a few years ago, Vella’s agricultural land was used by hunters to build their illegal hides, known as ‘duri‘.

This has all changed through the illegal development by Vella, who turned the area into an illegal ODZ dwelling.

In 2016, Vella used architect and government adviser Robert Musumeci, to apply to demolish what he described as small agricultural dilapidated structures sporadically placed in his large fields. He wanted to build ‘an agriculture store’ instead.

The environmental authorities objected, contesting the existence of former so-called sporadic structures which had nothing to do with agriculture but served as illegal hunting hides.

The Planning Authority ignored all data and objections and permitted Vella to build his ‘agricultural store’, which became his residence.

The ‘store’ was developed into a residence with a large pool in the middle of the large ODZ fields.

In 2021, after completing his pool disguised as a reservoir, Vella, through the services of Perit Ludovico Micallef, applied to sanction it.

ERA again objected, stating that the reservoir was being used as a pool, clearly seen from pictures it presented to the Authority.

Vella, had already surrounded his new residence with a high wall and a gate.

Once again, the Planning Authority ignored all recommendations and issued the permit to sanction the ‘reservoir’.

Once again, he illegally paved some 500 square metres of fields and turned others into turf. Earlier this year, he filed a new application, PA04541/24, to sanction all the latest illegal works.

ERA is again opposing, underlining the illegal development of the whole area by Minister Dalli’s brother-in-law.