Ombudsman reports PA to parliament over illegal St Julian's ticket booth

The planning ombudsman has reported the Planning Authority to parliament for ignoring his recommendation to revoke a permit for a concrete structure along the St Julian’s promenade because it is over three times the permissible size.

The Commissioner for Environment and Planning within the Office of the Ombudsman, Alan Saliba, last October recommended that the PA should invoke an article of the Development Planning Act that allows it to revoke a permit granted in error.

However, his recommendations were ignored by the PA, so he has sent the report to parliament for action.

The planning ombudsman investigated the structure upon receipt of a complaint from a resident over the erection of a room that stands on the roof of a structure at the Neptune’s Waterpolo and Swimming Club in Ċensu Tabone Street.

The complainant told the ombudsman that the structure was being built through a development notification order (DNO) when it should have gone through the normal permit process.

Matthew Bonello had filed the DNO in April proposing the construction of a room for an ATM machine and an adjacent ticket booth, both 2.7 metres high. The PA endorsed the request and a permit was issued.

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