Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1463840
8 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 APRIL 2022 JAMES DEBONO A planning application is pro- posing the addition of three floors to an iconic Balzan town- house, to make way for two mai- sonettes, nine apartments and two penthouses. The proposal by Life Proper- ties Ltd also envisages the par- tial demolition of the façade and the internal demolition of the property as well as the ex- cavation of a basement garage to create eight parking spaces. The addition of two full floors and a penthouse level will cre- ate a blank party wall on adja- cent two-storey townhouses along Triq Papa Piju XII. The development is being proposed opposite the pro- posed Park Lane development, which if approved would in- clude a 90-apartment complex and 2,500sq.m of retail shops, proposed by Clifton Attard, a business partner of construc- tion magnate Joe Portelli. Recently the Park Lane de- velopers have also applied to develop a corner townhouse previously owned by former Minister John Dalli. Accord- ing to the submitted plans the development will include three new floors on the existing vil- la to accommodate 3 shops at ground floor level and 11 apartments. The Superintend- ence for Cultural Heritage has recently expressed concern about "this intense develop- ment" noting that it does not provide for an adequate transi- tion to the Urban Conservation Area. All three projects are locat- ed just outside Balzan's Urban Conservation Area. Apart from aesthetic con- cerns residents living in an area are concerned by the traffic im- pact of all three developments which all include a retail com- ponent. "Proposing a development which does not cater for at least one parking per proposed apartment and maisonette is a major issue." This is because the development proposed by Life Properties only foresees six garages and two other park- ing spaces. Moreover they are also calling on the PA to assess the traffic impact of all three projects not- ing that Portelli's development, which includes 70 basement parking spaces, also includes a large retail component. Another Balzan iconic building in danger PA defers decision on stables near Portelli's Sannat project An iconic Balzan building opposite Joseph Portelli's massive Park Lane development could be demolished to make way for 13 new dwellings The proposal by Life Properties Ltd envisages the partial demolition of the façade and the internal demolition of the property as well as the excavation of a basement garage to create eight parking spaces JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has asked archi- tect Alex Bigeni to verify whether his cli- ent committed illegalities before deciding whether to issue a permit for four new sta- bles in the vicinity of the Ta' Cenc cliffs. Activists had previously presented de- tailed photographic images documenting various works carried out without a per- mit, including rebuilding of rubble walls and extending a dirt road to the cliff's edge. These have taken place partly over Natura 2000 site and Special Area of Con- servation. The stables themselves are be- ing proposed just outside a special area of conservation. The commission has also asked the ar- chitect to verify if the land is really owned by applicant Marlon Mercieca after four NGOs namely Moviment Graffitti, Din l-Art Helwa, Flimkien Ghall Ambjent Ah- jar and Ghawdix claimed that the land is owned by Excel Limited, a company be- longing to Mercury House developer Jo- seph Portelli. The four NGOs also claim that the pro- posed stables are linked to Portelli's con- troversial development of 124 flats in San- nat. The flats proposed in three different applications A, will be located 300m from the cliff-edge and very close to the pro- posed stables. During the meetingm architect Bigeni claimed his client had signed a contract through which he obtained full ownership of the land four months before submitting the application. The decision on the proposed stables has now been postponed by six weeks during which the architect would have to "verify" both the ownership of the land and wheth- er illegalities have taken place on site. Astrid Vella from Flimkien Ghall-Amb- jent Ahjar compared the commission's de- cision to ask the architect to 'verify' wheth- er illegalities took place to letting "the fox in to the chicken coop". Vella insisted that it should be the Planning Authority in a site inspection and not the applicant's ar- chitect who should inspect the site. But board chairman Franco Montesin replied that architects are bound by pro- fessional ethics. While Vella insisted that the site should be restored back to its natural state, the board chairman replied that "unfortunate- ly as happens in many other cases", the il- legalities can still be sanctioned. The Environment and Resources Au- thority had objected to the stables, warn- ing that this will result in the take-up of agricultural land, the proliferation of built structures and loss of rural character of the site. But the case officer still recommend- ed approval. Architect asked to 'verify' alleged illegalities on client's site as well as to confirm ownership of the site which activists claim belongs to Joseph Portelli