Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1302895
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 OCTOBER 2020 NEWS Call +356 2122 4405 E-mail info@laferla.com.mt Visit www.laferla.com.mt Laferla Insurance Agency Ltd. 204A, Vincenti Buildings, Old Bakery Street, Valletta VLT 1453 Malta, Europe Laferla Insurance Agency Ltd. is enrolled under the Insurance Distribution Act, Cap 487 to act as an Insurance Agent for MAPFRE Middlesea plc (MMS). MMS is authorised by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) under the Insurance Business Act, Cap 403 of the Laws of Malta. Both entities are regulated by the MFSA. JAMES DEBONO A road proposed in a zoning application to pave the way for more future development risks ripping apart Naxxar's cultural landscape. A proposal to develop a road to access "landlocked" plots off Triq Santa Marija in Naxx- ar – which are earmarked for future development – will pass through an area which includes an old pigeon loft tower, the high rubble wall of the Palazzo Parisio country estate, and a baroque-era farmhouse, all set in a pristine rural and vernacu- lar landscape. The latest plans show the pro- posed road layout passing just 5.4m away from the tower, and through the prickly pear trees and rubble walls which sur- round it. The new road system, pro- posed by Brian Azzopardi, is being proposed to serve "po- tential residential develop- ment" on a 12,031sq.m site located north and east of the Trade Fair grounds and to the west by Triq Santa Marija. The area presently consists of abandoned agricultural fields enclosed within the develop- ment zone, which had been designated as a "white area" where development is not al- lowed in the Temporary Pro- vision Schemes approved in 1988. Four different owners own the land. The proposed road will link Triq Santa Marija to Triq il-Ġwiedja at the edge of the Trade Fair grounds and Sqaq Pezza. The architect of the project, Ray Demicoli, is also designing a proposal for a 500-apartment and office complex to be built on the site of the former Trade Fair. The entry point for the pro- posed road will also pass through an old boundary wall of the Baroque era farmhouse along Triq Santa Marija. The lintel over the entrance door of the farmhouse contains an inscription indicating that it dates back to 1732. The area is also known to host protected bat colonies, which forage over the entire area at dusk. Environmentalist Alfred Bal- dachino has also documented the presence of the Maltese painted frog, robins that seek refuge in the area during their seasonal migration, and resi- dent and migratory flocks of birds of various species such as the Common Starling. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has not shot down the project entirely but recommended that the free space between the pigeon loft tower and the old rubble wall towards the east is transformed into a public square, ensuring free access for both the tower and the Palazzo Parisio wall. The Superintendence also called for a buffer zone of at least 7m around the pigeon loft and from the historical wall. It insisted that any development allowed in the area should not impinge on the cultural herit- age remains that may survive in this area. Despite the obvious ecologi- cal impact of the proposed de- velopment, the Environment and Resources Authority has so far has not objected to the new road. But the ERA has committed itself to "more detailed envi- ronmental screening" when fu- ture development applications are presented on the building plots. ERA called for photo- graphic images of the site, to be in a better position to as- sess the impact of the proposed road. The Naxxar local council had objected to the proposal, not- ing that this is in breach of the local plan which obliges the roads in the area to be integrat- ed with the national road sys- tem in a "comprehensive plan". In fact, the zoning applica- tion seeks to introduce the new road in the absence of such a plan and has presented a de- tailed report by architect. The council denounced the piecemeal approach to de- velopment of the land at il-Ġwiedja and the ex-Trade Fair site, each having its own road network. It also warned that if permitted, the proposed layout will significantly inten- sify traffic flow along Triq San- ta Marija and within the urban conservation area. But the local plan approved in 2006 paves the way for devel- opment in the green enclave, which was previously consid- ered a white area where devel- opment cannot take place. Road to rip through Naxxar's beauty spot A proposal to develop a road to access "landlocked" plots off Triq Santa Marija in Naxxar – which are earmarked for future development – will pass through an area which includes an old pigeon loft tower, the high rubble wall of the Palazzo Parisio country estate, and a baroque-era farmhouse, all set in a pristine rural and vernacular landscape