Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1053035
7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 NOVEMBER 2018 NEWS JAMES DEBONO A stretch of farmland along the Birkirkara bypass in Swatar is facing the prospect of a seven- storey development. The land, equivalent in size to 15 football grounds, was added to development zones in the 2006 extension, and is set between St Martin College and Swatar's res- idential zone, running along the bypass to create a continuous chain linking Birkirkara, Swatar and Tal-Qroqq. Various landowners have now filed a planning control applica- tion to the Planning Authority that earmarks seven-storey resi- dential development on 70% of the 115,000sq.m added to devel- opment zones in the infamous extension of building bounda- ries by the Gonzi administration in 2006. New roads and some green areas will occupy the rest of the site. The enormous site is bounded by Triq Dun Karm bypass, Triq is-Swatar, Triq Indri Grima and Triq Mons. Innocenz Zammit. The existing school and foot- ball ground are not included in the proposed development. Apart from extensive agricultur- al fields the area also includes a number of old farmhouses, rub- ble walls and some dwellings. The application does not cover the entire site, which includes a 60,000sq.m. area between the bypass and Triq Sir Anthony Mamo. The PA is already considering another site in Swatar, between Valley Road behind the Charles Grech outlet, and Triq Indri Gri- ma – an 18,000sq.m agricultural landholding that includes a large number of trees including carob trees. This land was included in the extended building zones on condition that only 50% of the whole site is developed. This ap- plication is still being processed by the PA. Before requesting a develop- ment permit, owners of the land added to the development zones must present a 'planning control application' to set the zoning, building heights and road net- work for each site. In December 2012, just before the start of the electoral cam- paign, the PA informed owners of these 'rationalisation' plots and that they had till June 2013 to ap- ply for a planning control permit. Failure to comply would have resulted in the land being spared from development, or with the PA setting its own planning con- trol process for the lands. But this circular was shelved by the newly-elected Labour gov- ernment. A PA spokesperson recently confirmed "that there is no deadline until which owners can apply to set the parameters for rationalisation sites through PC applications". Since 2013, 35 planning con- trol applications have been pre- sented by owners of sites added to development zones in 2006. The PA received 62 applications before 2013. The PA has yet to process the parameters for what type of planning can take place on 78 other sites. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Swatar farmland targeted for seven-storey development Over 115,000 sq.m of farmland f lanking Birkirkara bypass was included in 2006 building zones extension