Environmental group's persistence pays off
It's a rare win for environmental campaigners in Malta. The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) has revoked a permit that would have allowed the uprooting of hundreds of protected trees on Comino, following an appeal by Moviment Graffitti [1].
The decision comes as a fresh blow to the €170 million Six Senses Comino development by HV Hospitality, a subsidiary of Hili Ventures. The project includes a 140-bed luxury resort at San Niklaw Bay and an expansion of bungalows at Santa Marija Bay from 13 to 16 units [1].
How it happened
Last month, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) had quietly granted permission for the tree removal in what Graffitti described as a decision made "in secrecy, behind closed doors" without public participation [1]. The environmental group, represented by lawyer Claire Bonello, immediately appealed to the EPRT, which has now sided with them [1].
"A month ago, the authority responsible for the environment granted permission for hundreds of trees to be uprooted from Comino, many of them protected by law, in order to make space for a Hili Group project involving a hotel and villas in this natural reserve," Graffitti said in a statement [1].
The bigger picture
This tree permit success doesn't mean the development itself is dead—far from it. In November 2025, the EPRT had rejected an earlier appeal by nine environmental organisations against the Planning Authority's original approval of the wider Six Senses project [1]. The tribunal ruled that the development conformed to local plan policies, despite acknowledging it would result in the loss of 1,220 square metres of protected garigue habitat [1].
Environmental groups had argued that the project breached Comino's status as a Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation [1].
The fight continues
Graffitti has stressed that a separate legal case to revoke the original development permit remains ongoing, with a court ruling expected in the coming months [1]. The group is taking a firm stance: until the main development permit is finally decided in court, no permits for tree removal should be granted, since the trees are intrinsically linked to a development that could still be revoked [1].
"This is because such tree removal is intrinsically linked to a development permit that is not yet final, and therefore could still be revoked," the group said [1].
The developers maintain their commitment to environmental sensitivity, saying the project will create a lower-density tourism model with extensive landscaping involving 55,000 endemic trees and shrubs [1]. But environmental campaigners counter that approximately 380 protected trees will be uprooted for construction [1].
For now, the trees on Comino remain standing—but the struggle over the island's future is far from over. "The fight continues," Graffitti concluded [1].