PA ignores objections and issues Saqqajja permit

The Planning Authority has approved a 35-flat development beneath Mdina’s bastions despite objections over excavation risks and visual harm, after Transport Malta, led by former Labour CEO Leonid McKay,  issued its clearance shortly before the board meeting.

The decision clears the planning hurdle for clubbing entrepreneur Dominic Micallef’s latest proposal to redevelop the former Tattingers nightclub and neighbouring properties on Saqqajja Hill, following the court’s annulment of an earlier hotel permit.

The application, submitted by Mdina Property Ltd with former minister Jesmond Mugliett as architect, proposes a stepped residential complex reaching fifth-floor level above two basement parking floors.

Plans include a residents’ gym and spa, a small office, 65 parking spaces and a service culvert beneath Triq tal-Infetti. Villa San Clemente would be restored as one of the homes.

Clearance before the meeting

The board had deferred the application on 1 October for four weeks, allowing representatives time to examine revised plans and the architect to obtain outstanding clearances.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage subsequently accepted the revised excavation methodology from a cultural heritage perspective, subject to conditions. It recommended a €100,000 bank guarantee to secure adherence to the methodology and protect heritage assets discovered during works.

It also required archaeological monitoring of ground-disturbance works at the developer’s expense.

Transport Malta’s clearance, still outstanding in the updated case notes, arrived shortly before the meeting.

Four neighbouring property owners, represented by architect Hermann Bonnici, who is also a member of the planning board, had challenged the earlier recommendation to grant permission before completing the excavation assessments.

They raised risks of settlement, subsidence and lateral ground movement, noting that their properties lie uphill. Mdina Local Council separately sought a specialist assessment of impacts on the protected railway tunnel.

Bonnici declared a conflict of interest in the application and left the room during the discussion and vote.

The case officer’s report recorded major negative visual impacts from a key approach to the site. Despite acknowledging that design changes had not eliminated the identified harm, the Directorate considered the effects acceptable and recommended approval.

Developer facing various claims

Micallef’s business interests have also faced substantial creditor claims.

As previously reported by The Shift, Seasport Ltd sought €1.27 million from his SEG Concessions Ltd over Mambo Beach Club, while a contractor reported unpaid bills running into hundreds of thousands of euros on the stalled Valletta waterpolo project.

These concern company claims and reported arrears, rather than a verified total of Micallef’s current personal debts. Their current balances and subsequent outcomes have not been established.