Architect turned Bidnija ‘farmer’ still doing as he pleases

Architect Konrad Bezzina’s sprawling Bidnija “sheep farm” is still standing despite the court confirming the revocation of its permit and rejecting an attempt to reopen the case, according to the organisations that challenged it.

The building remains planted in a sensitive rural valley despite years of illegalities.

For Bezzina, the latest court setback follows years of controversy exposed by The Shift: EU funding, changing applicants, residential ambitions and agricultural facilities whose scale baffled the authorities themselves.

The project secured planning approval in 2019 under the commission chaired by Elizabeth Ellul, despite objections.

By October 2022, The Shift revealed that €150,000 in EU funding had been allocated to the venture, covering 75% of its stated costs to establish a goat and sheep farm.

But the original proprietor, Mġarr farmer Jason Vella, was absent from the latest development plans. Ownership had reportedly passed to a company wholly owned by Bezzina, the architect behind the building.

The next move was an application for a farmer’s residence, guest rooms and a breakfast room, fronted by company director Peter Bernard Carbonaro.

Nearby farmers told The Shift that Bezzina and his family were already spending weekends there. Dining and barbecue facilities occupied the terrace.

In February 2023, Bezzina requested suspension of the conversion application as objections mounted.

Agricultural advisers questioned his farming experience and said the building differed significantly from approved plans, resembling a dwelling rather than an agricultural facility.

Then Vella reappeared as applicant on the Planning Authority portal. Carbonaro resigned, leaving Bezzina as sole director and owner.

A PR statement on Vella’s behalf said accommodation plans had been scrapped. Visitor access remained on the agenda.

By May, agricultural advisers were querying why 40 female sheep needed so many stores, administrative spaces, resting quarters and an excessive milking parlour. They doubted the proposal represented genuine farming.

Environmental and heritage authorities also opposed a greenhouse and further outdoor development.

Now, Moviment Graffitti and Din l-Art Ħelwa say their challenge has secured definitive revocation.

The PA initially revoked the permit but ordered reprocessing. The Tribunal upheld the organisations’ appeal, including grounds concerning failure to disclose the site’s scheduled status.

The applicant’s court appeal failed. A retrial request was subsequently rejected, the organisations say.

They describe a building with several floors, reception areas and a swimming pool, and demand demolition and restoration.

After years of applications, objections and litigation, Bezzina’s building still dominates the valley and the government’s Planning Authority refuses to act despite its powers to intervene through  direct enforcement.