Residents, Council Members Demonstrate Against Mellieha Heights

A group of Mellieha residents together with their Mayor and Deputy Mayor have held a peaceful demonstration on the site of the contentious Mellieha Heights development.

Photo: Ilona Sciberras

The development permit issued to Paul Attard, Secretary General of the Malta Developers Association, was fast-tracked and issued within a record two-month period. This came after residents had requested an investigation by the NAO on the transfer of this public land for a paltry €380,000 in yearly ground rent, which effectively allows Attard to sell 109 apartments built on public land whilst transferring the ground rent onto the prospective buyers.

Residents carried placards saying “are we worth less than €380,000 in yearly ground rent?” and “Prime Minister, why are you avoiding us?” The event, organised by Residenti tal-Mellieha and Il-Kollettiv, was also attended by local councillors, members of political party Momentum and Nationalist MPs from the district.

Only last Tuesday, the residents wrote to the Prime Minister asking his intervention in an open letter signed by over 100 people. In response, the developer commenced works on the site in Mellieha three days ahead of what had been communicated to the residents.

In a statement, il-Kollettiv stated that developer Paul Attard is doing his utmost to commit the site before the results of the NAO inquiry on the land transfer are published. “The Prime Minister is ignoring the residents’ calls for a meeting, and while stating his stance against public land developed by private interests, authorities such as the PA and its board members are working hard to deliver the exact opposite. This is hardly the attitude of a PM who claims to be socialist, and who works for the people. Whenever the loss of quality of life caused by the construction industry in all towns in Malta is highlighted, he can only turn his back onto those who elected him.”

The group said it remains committed to working with the residents of Mellieha and their Local Council, “an example of how genuine and meaningful collective action, free of partisan interests, should work for the good of our quality of life.”