The commune of Venice, its region and environmental groups including Italia Nostra and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had filed complaints against the plan on the grounds there had been insufficient attention paid its environmental impact.

The project -- christened "Moses" -- envisages the building of 78 submerged barriers where the Adriatic Sea meets the Venice lagoon, comprising a total length of 1,600 metres (1,750 yards).

Berlusconi in May last year laid the foundation stone for the barrier, which will remain on the sea bed during normal weather but rise up 1.1 metres (3.6 feet) above the sea level when the city is threatened by flood waters.

The total cost of the project is estimated at six billion eurosbillion dollars).

The administrative tribunal for the Venice region said it would give the reasons for its decision in the next 30 days.

The idea of protecting Venice, which has sunk by 22 centimetres over the last four years, goes back to 1966 when an abnormally high sea level caused massive damage to the city's historic buildings.

TERRA.WIRE