Environmental organisations have condemned imminent plans to allow residences to be built on the site of the former Ħal Ferħ tourism complex at Golden Bay.
In a statement ahead of a decision by the parliamentary environment committee on Monday, the groups said the plans went against the terms of the original land-grant for the site and were "intended to lull the general public into gradually accepting real estate manoeuvres that, in 2014, would have been rejected out of hand".
The proposed change is a draft amendment to the 2006 north west local plan and the 2008 Ħal Ferh development brief to include permanent residential development among the list of acceptable uses.
While the 2009 emphyteutical deed granting use of the land to the Corinthia Hotels Group holding company limited use of the site only to tourism, it included a mechanism allowing part to be converted to residential use.
However, eNGOs argue that the Planning Authority reiterated its position against residential development several times in the years since.
"Everybody knows that the site is surrounded by pristine agricultural land. Sacrificing part of it in the interest of the tourism industry was a bitter pill...