Gozo minister’s cousin files development application for a ‘garage’ in pristine Ramla valley

The cousin of Gozo minister Clint Camilleri, Ronnie Camilleri, has filed a planning application to build a ‘garage’ on a pristine plot of garigue land in Nadur with views of Ramla valley.

Ronnie Camilleri, who also serves as the Gozo minister’s personal driver, filed the application (PA/4468/22) in June. The application is currently being assessed by one of the PA’s case officers and is awaiting a recommendation.

The site, which is in Triq ta’ Ħida, would take up around 200sqm of land. Curiously, the design of the building includes several aluminium apertures on one of its sides, a fact that was not missed by over a hundred objectors who are calling on the Planning Authority (PA) to refuse the application.

Multiple objections to Camilleri’s application specifically refer to it as “a dwelling in disguise”, with at least two eNGOs, Għawdix and Moviment Graffitti, filing their objections and calling on others to do the same.

Both of the NGOs objected to the development on this basis as well as the fact that the site is in an Outside Development Zone (ODZ) and lies on the ridge of the Ramla l-Ħamra valley, breaching policies within the Gozo local plan.

Others, many of whom are residents in the area, were much curter with their objections, with one objector in particular simply stating “stop ruining Gozo”.

Bigeni, the architect for the project, has a history of similar applications filed in rural and/or agricultural areas. Bigeni first popped up on The Shift’s radar after filing a significant amount of applications which were linked to Gozitan developer Joseph Portelli or his business associates. The architect is related to the Gozo minister by marriage.

In February, The Shift had reported how this newsroom tracked at least five separate planning applications in Gozo in which he was the designated architect for various different kinds of ‘farming’ structures on ODZ land which elicited similar accusations of buildings which would not be used for their stated purpose.