Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1080741
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2019 JAMES DEBONO THREE gigantic tower blocks that will rise up to 15 storeys are being proposed on farm- land located just outside the site of the Smart City develop- ment in Xghajra. The new development will overlook the sea on one side and Wied Glavan on the other, and is set to include 14 retail shops, 153 apartments and nine penthouses. The application has been presented by Jason Mifsud, a shareholder in the Fanu Mifsud company of Mqabba, as well as Univest Enterprises and Four Site Operations. A similar application for the development of 125 apart- ments and 21 penthouses had already been proposed in 2008, limiting the development to seven floors. In the latest application, the development will have 210 ga- rages on three basement levels, then 1,300sq.m of commer- cial space at ground floor and 1,200sq.m of retail space on the overlying two floors. The uppermost floor, which in- cludes the penthouses, will be receded. The site where the develop- ment is being proposed con- sists of 5,466sq.m of farmland between Dawret ix-Xatt and Triq Glavan. Plans foreseeing the 15-sto- rey development were present- ed last year, but the original ap- plication was later withdrawn. Residential development had already been approved in an outline permit issued in 2004. The application is still at a preliminary stage and the PA is currently screening the ap- plication to inform the devel- opers whether it conforms to existing policies. The area in question is iden- tified for three-storey devel- opment and a semi-basement, which under current policies actually translates to four sto- reys and a penthouse. The site could also be eligible for the floor area ratio mecha- nism which applies to sites of over 4,000sq.m that are sur- rounded by four roads – but this would require an exten- sion of Triq Wied Glavan over the existing farmland. Xghajra was not among the sites where tall buildings over 10-storey development can be allowed, but the PA has re- cently approved the 12-storey high Shoreline development within the confines of Smart City. The proposed ITS campus included in Smart City is also set to include a 12-storey ho- tel. The Environment and Re- sources Authority is also con- sidering Xghajra as one of the sites for large-scale land recla- mation. An extensive area between St Julian's and Xghajra has been earmarked for this purpose in a site selection study seen by MaltaToday. NEWS A drawing showing the front elevation of the three 15-storey towers proposed for development in Triq Wied Glavan in Xghajra High-rise on Xghajra farm- land: Three blocks, fifteen storeys high Next door to Smart City: as more residential development is given the green light at Smart City, once billed as a futuristic centre for internet-based players, more developers start seeing the opportunity of having their adjacent lands developed into high-rise apartment complexes with stunning views of the sea off Xghajra