Sannat apartments near Portelli mega-block approved by Planning Authority

A block of apartments adjacent to a mega complex linked to developer Joseph Portelli has been greenlit by the Planning Authority. 

The approved application is for the construction of five maisonettes and 15 apartments over three levels as well as a further three apartments on top of an existing block. 

The site will be partially built over undeveloped land and partially over a block of recently built apartments. The application was filed by one of Portelli’s business partners, Mark Agius. 

The site of the development also lies on the same street where a trio of applications by Portelli, Agius and Daniel Refalo form a massive residential development of 125 apartments, just 300 metres away from the idyllic Ta’ Ċenċ cliffs, which is a Natura 2000 site and a designated special area of conservation. 

Speaking on behalf of Moviment Graffitti, objector Rachel Baldacchino said the application was deceptively filed as a standalone development when it would be clearly forming part of the already approved block in Sannat, to bypass the scrutiny that would come with applying for such a large project. 

Critics of development in Sannat Heights have termed the phenomenon ‘salami slicing’ and...