Plans to build a tourist bungalow complex on the protected cliffs on the outskirts of Żurrieq have been approved by the Planning Authority, despite the site’s designation as rural and environmentally sensitive.The proposal for 14 bungalows with pools, along with a restaurant and reception area, will replace the existing Garden of Eden wedding venue, which includes reception halls, a nightclub, a car park, and a derelict farmhouse that are set to be demolished and excavated to make way for the new development according to Times of Malta.The green light comes six years after an initial outline development application (PA/06673/20) was approved in principle, a process that attracted hundreds of objections at the time.Heritage organisation Din l‑Art Ħelwa “strongly objected” to the plans, arguing that the development would intensify commercial activity in the area.BirdLife Malta also warned that the development could cause irreversible damage to the habitat supporting a breeding colony of protected seabirds.The Planning Authority case officer recommended approval of the detailed application (PA/04861/25) last month, and the Planning Board formally endorsed the project earlier this month. The applicant is Baldacchino Holdings, with architect Ray Demicoli leading the design.The case officer noted that the site lies within multiple environmental designations, including an Area of Ecological Importance, an Area of High Landscape Value, and partly within a Natura 2000 protected site.Addressing visual and environmental concerns, the officer stated that the footprint of the new development would not exceed that of the existing buildings and that the proposed bungalows would feature a “much higher quality rural design structure” than the current structures on site.Renderings show sand and brown‑coloured bungalows constructed from local limestone, equipped with solar panels and timber screens, with rubble walls reinstated.The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage assessed the visual impact of the project as “relatively limited.”During consultations with the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), the plans were downscaled to remove an indoor pool, sauna, gym, and housekeeping facilities previously proposed in basement areas.The current car park was unlawfully constructed on a 4,900-square-metre area of garigue, a type of Mediterranean low scrubland, prompting authorities to issue an enforcement notice to the operators in 1998.What do you make of this?Credit: Planning Authority•