Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1185664
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 NOVEMBER 2019 NEWS Marsa office hub to replace EORC JAMES DEBONO A new commercial hub is be- ing proposed on a 43,500sq.m site currently occupied by the Edible Oil Refinery (EORC) factory opposite the Marsa golf course. The development is be- ing proposed by Regenera- tion Projects Ltd, a company whose directors include Oli- ver Brownrigg of B.C.B.T Ltd, and Silvan Fenech of Tum In- vest. The development consists of 42,838sq.m of offices, 8,386sq.m of showrooms and 23,306sq.m of warehouses, and is expected to increase vehicular traffic by 7,799 cars during weekdays. Project- generated traffic will decrease to 2,566 vehicles on Saturdays and none on Sundays. The site, designated in the local plan as an industrial ar- ea, is currently occupied by a number of buildings that were used in industrial chemical applications such as soap and detergent manufacturing, and the storage, treatment, and conversion of edible oils into biofuels. The local plan limits de- velopment in this area to industrial uses, including warehousing and storage. Buildings in the area can- not rise above 12 metres in height. But plans submitted by the developers indicate a building height of between 13 and 19 metres in stepped de- velopment. Plans also indicate that 33% of the site's footprint will be designated as landscaped open spaces. Most of the site is currently abandoned, except for the main building that is current- ly used as a temporary office. The site will be developed into four distinct buildings with an internal road passing through the site with three vehicular access points, two on Triq l- Imgieret and another on the road that links Triq Aldo Mo- ro (Marsa) with Qormi. Above: the site of the EORC factory in Marsa. The 42,838sq.m of offices, showrooms and warehouses will increase vehicular traffic by 7,799 cars during weekdays JAMES DEBONO IN a clear sign of cautiousness from the Planning Authority in the aftermath of the controver- sial Qala decision, a permit for a 200sq.m Bahrija dwelling is set for refusal because of envi- ronmental considerations. Despite rural policy develop- ment guidelines potentially being used to green-light the project, the PA's planning drectorate is firmly opposing the redevelopment of an exist- ing 45sq.m, one-storey build- ing into a two-storey villa and pool in the picturesque tat-Til- liera area of Bahrija. Although the submitted documentation shows the structures are considered an "established residence" dating prior to 1978, the site in ques- tion lies within an area of high landscape value. The develop- ment has been objected to by the Environment & Resources Authority (ERA) and Superin- tendent of Cultural Heritage (SCH). To refuse the permit the plan- ning directorate has invoked a provision in the rural policy guidelines, stating that any extension to an existing build- ing outside development zones must be of "a compatible de- sign and must respect the rural context". Moreover, the swimming pool is deemed in breach of another provision of the policy, which bans such development in protected archaeological ar- eas like this one. In this case the applicant sub- mitted the required documen- tation to prove the residential use of the site, including copy of ID cards of tenants, old photos of the building, a copy of the electoral registers from 1947 to 1993, a copy of utility bills dated 2003 and 2017, and property deeds showing its re- cent acquisition from former owners. A final decision has yet to be taken by the PA's planning commission, chaired by Eliza- beth Ellul. PA tightens ODZ screws as Bahrija permit set for refusal