The controversial redevelopment of the Comino hotel and bungalows has been given the go-ahead, after the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) rejected all objections and confirmed the Planning Authority’s permit for the €170 million Six Senses Comino project.

The decision clears a major hurdle for developer HV Hospitality, a subsidiary of Hili Ventures, which plans to demolish the long-abandoned Comino Hotel and bungalows and replace them with a 140-bed luxury resort at San Niklaw Bay and 16 bungalows at Santa Marija Bay. The project will be operated under the Six Senses brand and will also include restaurants, bars, and a spa.

In a statement, HV Hospitality said the EPRT’s ruling “reinforces the company’s vision to create a world-class, environmentally responsible resort that enhances Malta’s tourism offering while respecting Comino’s unique landscape.”

The ruling follows a series of appeals lodged by several environmental NGOs, including Moviment Graffitti, BirdLife Malta, Nature Trust, and Din l-Art Ħelwa, who have long argued that the project threatens the island’s fragile ecosystem. Objectors can still file a final appeal before the law courts.

The EPRT dismissed all 11 grounds of appeal — ranging from claims that the project breached rural policies to concerns over habitat loss — and upheld the Planning Authority’s decision. It concluded that while the project involves intensive development, it also includes “sufficient mitigation and restoration measures” to justify approval.

HV Hospitality has pledged to restore over 8,200 square metres of degraded land and plant more than 55,000 endemic trees and shrubs as part of the project’s environmental commitments. Critics, however, warn that the scale of the development — including plans for 44 swimming pools and two new jetties — risks transforming the island’s character and damaging its protected habitats.

The Comino project has been one of Malta’s most hotly debated developments in recent years, sparking a wider national conversation about sustainable tourism, heritage preservation, and the balance between investment and environmental protection.