Residents appeal Naxxar blocks, citing mayor’s ‘undeclared conflict of interest’

A group of Naxxar residents and environmental NGOs are demanding the revocation of a massive residential and commercial development planned for Naxxar, claiming the mayor had an undeclared conflict of interest when she voted in favour of the project on the Planning Authority board.
The appeal was filed before the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal by Din l-Art Ħelwa, Għaqda Kulturali Wirt Naxxari, Nationalist councillor Joseph Spiteri and several residents. Within 48 hours, they had crowdfunded enough money to pay expenses.
Approved in December, the project is to be built on the parking lot of the former trade fair grounds in Naxxar. It is split into two elliptical blocks measuring eight and 10 floors high and will have a public open space in between the two buildings.

Spearheaded by San Pawl tat-Tarġa Investments Ltd, the project includes 136 residential units and penthouses, as well as shops, restaurants and other commercial outlets.
The appellants said they had “grave concerns” about the impartiality of the mayor, Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami, adding the principle of natural justice had been breached. They said she voted in favour despite the Naxxar council having...