Tourist bungalows approved outside development zone
A controversial plan to build a complex of tourist bungalows in Żurrieq – well outside the development zone and overlooking the environmentally sensitive Wied Babu valley – has received a full planning permit this month, marking the final approval for a project that has drawn fierce opposition from environmental groups and hundreds of residents [1].
The Baldacchino Group's "Garden of Eden" complex will be built in the Il-Munqar area, located on high ground to the southwest of Nigret. The site, which sits on protected countryside, includes two reception and wedding halls – the larger Eden Lodge and the smaller Cottage Garden – a defunct nightclub, and a derelict farmhouse [1].
From outline to full permit: a two-year journey
The developers obtained an outline permit in December 2023 for what was initially a 12-bungalow project (PA/6673/20), despite attracting around 800 public objections and objections from environmental NGOs [1]. When the company applied for a full development permit on 27 January 2025 (PA/4861/25), it increased the proposed number of bungalows to 14 while maintaining the same footprint [1].
"Such an intensification was not permitted in PA/6673/20 and is completely unacceptable," Din l-Art Ħelwa stated in its objection to the expanded plans.
Policy 6.2C proves decisive – even without original permit
The approval hinged on the controversial Rural Policy and Design Guidance, 2014, specifically policy 6.2C, which permits the redevelopment and change of use of existing ODZ buildings. The policy typically requires pre-1978 buildings or existing development permission, but planners could not trace the original permit for the complex [1].
Instead, the policy was applied in the developers' favour based on a 1988 permit for a boundary wall and a 1989 trading licence for an open-air disco – a decision that raised eyebrows among observers of planning practice [1].
Environmental warnings ignored once again
Both BirdLife Malta and Din l-Art Ħelwa reiterated their strong objections to the development in the full application phase. BirdLife highlighted that the tourist complex would be built in a highly sensitive environment with "relatively undisturbed" cliffs and garigue habitat immediately below [1].
The environmental group warned that the cliffs beneath the proposed development host a colony of 20-30 breeding pairs of Yelkouan shearwaters, a vulnerable seabird species protected under EU law. These birds are highly sensitive to light pollution – a concern made worse by the permanent alterations, increased illumination, noise, and visitor pressures the bungalow complex would bring [1].
Din l-Art Ħelwa specifically objected to the increase from 12 to 14 bungalows, calling the intensification "completely unacceptable" since it went beyond what was approved in the outline permit [1].
Fewer objections, same outcome
The full application attracted considerably less public attention than the outline phase, with only a handful of objections submitted alongside those from the environmental groups. The case officer nonetheless recommended approval last month, a recommendation that was duly followed by the granting of the permit this month [1].
Construction timeline remains unclear, though Eden Lodge – one of the reception halls – is presently taking bookings through the end of 2026 and was recently used by the Nationalist Party for a political activity [1].