PN calls for halt to Comino works as planning reform loophole emerges

The Nationalist Party has called on the government to intervene and stop what it describes as irreversible works on Comino until the appeal procedure against the planning permit is concluded.

In a statement, the PN argued that the case should be seen in the context of the proposed government reform, which would introduce the automatic suspension of development when a permit is appealed.

The party acknowledged that the permit issued by the Environment and Resources Authority is legally separate from the planning one. It said ERA did what it could to impose the necessary environmental safeguards.

That admission carries weight. Last week, the PN representative on the ERA board voted in favour of the preparatory works linked with the Six Senses project on Comino.

The Opposition is now asking for the new law to apply to pending appeals as well. Opposition spokespersons Rebekah Borg and Mark Anthony Sammut requested that separate authorisations, including those from ERA, are not used to push ahead with development that is still under appeal.

For Malta's business community, the case exposes a regulatory gap. If the reform passes without closing this loophole, developers could secure environmental permits to begin site preparation while the planning appeal is still pending, effectively bypassing the intended suspension.

That creates legal and financial risk for investors who may proceed in good faith on one permit only to face a reversal on another. It also puts pressure on ERA, which must balance environmental protection with the reality that its permits can be used to pre-empt planning outcomes.

The government has not yet responded to the PN's request. The Six Senses project on Comino remains a high-profile test case for how Malta's planning and environmental regimes interact when appeals are in play.