The Office of the Prime Minister has found six cases of illegality in an investigation on 39 stables, rehabilitated under a MEPA policy aimed at restoring disused horse stables outside development zones.
Previously, MEPA’s development control commission had controversially invoked this policy to sanction an illegal development in Mosta, whose owner decided to revert to horse stables to get permission for the original building.
The OPM’s investigation started in November 2009, when 39 permits for stables were identified by MEPA’s operations unit, and site inspections were carried out on each of these stables.
Inspecting officers reported that works were according to permits in 16 cases, and that work had not started or was still underway in 17 cases. In six other cases, the development was deemed to be not according to permits or approved drawings, or use.
MEPA has already issued four enforcement orders against these illegalities. “Other enforcement notices are being processed where there are infringements. Sites where works are in hand are being monitored by the enforcement officers,” an OPM spokesperson said.
Applications for such ODZ stables were facilitated by the policy for ‘agriculture, farm diversification and stables’ in 2007. The policy grants permission for the conversion or change of use of abandoned buildings, such as old farms, for the stabling of horses.
Between 2007 and 2009, MEPA received 71 of these development applications. The authority may also grant permission for a 25% extension of the footprint of these abandoned buildings.
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