Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1188980
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 DECEMBER 2019 NEWS JAMES DEBONO BACK in 2018 the Planning Authority had approved two new villas instead of dilapidated roofless old buildings along Triq Santa Liberta in Kalkara on the slope of the Kalkara valley, immediate- ly adjacent to the protected Capuchin Convent. Now the new owners have present- ed plans to extend the build up foot- print from 232sq.m of the two villas to 339sq.m development while adding two new swimming pools and decking areas and digging a basement level. Back in 2018 the case officer had rec- ommended the refusal of the develop- ment than proposed by PGB Limited af- ter questioning the past residential use of the buildings. But subsequently the developers had presented a notarial deed dating back to 1932 and the development was later ap- proved by the Planning Commission. The development was approved after being scaled down and limited to one sto- rey to respect the "location and vistas pro- vided by the hillside and proximity to the Capuchin priory". A restoration method statement was also presented with the aim of respecting the building fabric of the historical rooms, which were to be in- tegrated in the new development. The old buildings, although in ruins, have historical value, and probably date to the eighteenth century. The Maltese and the British under Capt. Alexander Ball also probably used the buildings as a military fort during the blockade of the French within the cities. A new application has now been pre- sented by a new owner; Wigi Micallef foreseeing additions to two approved dwellings including; extensions at ground floor level, the addition of basements and the construction of swimming pools with deck area not exceeding 75sq.m and the extension of site boundaries. The Superintendence for cultural her- itage has already expressed "grave con- cern" that the proposal shall result in the intensification of development within an Area of High Landscape Value and the Kalkara Valley. The proposed develop- ment highly exceeds the site footprint approved in 2018 and encroaches on the existing natural and cultural landscape. "Such development will negatively affect the views of the scheduled bastions as well as the adjacent Convent premises". The Superintendence has warned that due to the cultural and scientific value of the site, it is objecting to the pro- posed excavation of a basement level or the excavation of swimming pools. JAMES DEBONO THE Environment and Re- sources Authority is objecting to the proposed development of two supermarkets on a 7,000sq.m site on the Tal-Bal- al road near San Gwann. The site lies outside develop- ment boundaries. The two adjacent super- markets are being proposed by JDG Holdings, a company owned by Joseph Cassar, in- stead of a site currently occu- pied by the Kwikmix concrete plant along the recently wid- ened Tal-Balal road, opposite the small chapel of St Philip and St James. As proposed, the develop- ment includes an extensive underground car park below the two supermarkets. The supermarkets, set to be devel- oped over one level, will rise to a maximum of 7.3 metres and separated by a landscaped area, each occupying 1,400 sq.m of land. The proposed development does not occupy the site of the actual batching plant, which is actually located further in- side the rural area, but is de- scribed as the batching plant's "port". The ERA warned that the development will result in fur- ther urban sprawl and the pro- liferation and intensification of urban development outside the building zones, setting an undesirable precedent for fu- ture development. While objecting to the de- velopment, the ERA asked the developers to commence environment impact studies, including traffic studies. The NGO Wirt San Gwann is also objecting to this ap- plication due to the proximity of the development to the tal- Propostu Chapel. It warned that the develop- ment would exacerbate the traffic situation near St Mi- chael's Foundation Senior School, which lies directly opposite the entrance to the proposed supermarkets. The NGO warned that traf- fic will "slow down to a snail's space" once vehicles in the direction of San Gwann to Naxxar would have to pass in front of the supermarkets entrance in order to access St Michael's school on the other side of the road through the Tal-Balal roundabout. The road is already heavily frequented by trucks coming and going to quarries, ready- mix and bitmac plants. While replacing a part of the unsightly industrial develop- ment, the development of supermarkets in the area will contribute to an urban sprawl in the open gap between San Gwann, Gharghur and Naxx- ar. The land identified for the development of the two su- permarkets is still subject to a planning enforcement dating back to 2010 for illegal addi- tions to the batching plant, in- cluding the building of a store and the excavation of the site. An application to regularise these irregularities was with- drawn in April 2018. San Gwann already has a Lidl supermarket located in the vi- cinity of the parish church, further down the road. The Savemart supermarket is lo- cated at the edge of the Tal- Balal area, a short distance from the proposed supermar- kets. The PA's retail policy rec- ommends the development of supermarkets either in town centres or at the edge of towns, and obliges developers to submit a retail impact as- sessment to ensure that new supermarkets do not shift business from existing ones in town centres. ERA objects to San Gwann supermarkets, residents warn of traffic congestion Kalkara valley under threat by development next to convent