Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1194267
19.12.19 16 TOWNSCAPES Planning Authority gives thumbs down to Mensija ridge-edge project THE Planning Commission has given the thumbs down for a proposed development pro- ject on the Mensija ridge edge limits of San Gwann. e proposed project sought planning permission for the demolition of existing dilapi- dated structures and the exca- vation and construction of un- derlying car parking levels with 35 overlying duplex residential units with gardens and pools. e Commission agreed with the Planning Directorate's rec- ommendation and cited that the proposed development poses a threat to the high cul- tural and historical value of the adjacent area. e area is characterised by a cluster of buildings forming a hamlet. Two important protected Grade 1 buildings, namely the Mensija Sanctuary and the Lanzun Tower are an integral part of this hamlet. e proposed building would have also created an unsightly blank party wall overshadow- ing the valley of Wied Ghomor. e Commission also noted that the proposed development, particularly the excavation works, will be located immedi- ately adjacent to a major karstic doline and may have a signif- icant effect on the geological, geomorphological or physio- graphical integrity of the site. e project ran counter to a number of planning policies namely that a new develop- ment only allows the construc- tion of one internal residential unit and that the building was going to exceed the 30-meter depth. is may compromise the in- tegrity of existing gardens and backyards that provide a posi- tive contribution to the urban grain of a street and neigh- bourhood. e proposed development was also objected to by the Su- perintendence of Cultural Her- itage and the Environment and Resources Authority. For more information contact the Planning Authority Com- munications Office on +356 2290 2019.