Joseph Portelli targets Wardija for development as ERA raises objections

Construction magnate Joseph Portelli is targeting another rural site for development, this time the small and relatively untouched hamlet of Wardija, drawing hundreds of objections and an outright condemnation by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA).

Disguised under the name of Kurt Polidano, one of his employees, Portelli, through his architect Marisa Schembri Grima – until a while ago the government’s Chair of the Building and Construction Agency – is proposing to knock down an old vernacular farmhouse in Wardija hill, excavate the whole area, including fields, and erect on ODZ land, a building of garages, apartments and maisonettes with pools and jacuzzis.

The proposal, which the Planning Authority is still reviewing, has raised the ire of hundreds of objectors, calling Portelli’s latest attempt “horrendous” and “monstrous” and further degradation to Malta’s dwindling cultural and rural heritage.

In one of the strongest objections ever, ERA called upon the Planning Authority to ensure that the project does not materialise, labeling it objectionable on all fronts.

In its preliminary assessment, ERA said the proposal is “an environmental concern”.

The government’s environmental agency said that if Portelli is allowed to do this project, it would result in an extensive take-up of undeveloped agricultural land, site formalisation, and soil sealing.

It also stated that the project, as proposed, would result in the fragmentation of the site into 10 small parcels and would be incompatible with the surrounding rural and unspoiled areas.

ERA also objected to the uprooting of carob trees, which go back hundreds of years.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage also denounced Portelli’s plans, but was less categorical.

Leaving the door open to a possible permit, the Superintendence stated that while the current plans did not align with the sensitivity of the area, it would still consider its position if the plans were revised.

At the same time, the Superintendence stated that the farmhouse is over 100 years old and features many rare elements that require protection and conservation.

The St Paul’s Bay local council, together with hundreds of objectors, mostly residents, have condemned Portelli’s latest plans.

The developer has become synonymous with the degradation of the Islands’ landscape over the past few years, particularly in Gozo, where tens of old townhouses, mostly in village cores, have been demolished to be turned into large blocks of small apartments.

Closely connected to the highest echelons of the Labour government and a donor to the two main political parties, Portelli developed close contacts in all areas related to the issue of planning permits and the construction industry.

Portelli is also allowed to do as he pleases with impunity, including through the illegal use of government property, such as a quarry in Kercem, Gozo, which he turned into an unlawful batching plant – that continues to be used by the government for its projects.