Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1468438
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 MAY 2022 NEWS JAMES DEBONO THE discount-store chain Eu- rospin's application for a super- market on the site of the Bezzina shipyard in Marsa is in breach of local plans which had zoned the area for a different kind of busi- ness. According to the 2006 local plans, the area was zoned for the development of offices and showrooms, which have differ- ent impacts on traffic flows in the busy area from supermar- kets. The latter require parking for both employees and customers, while offices require parking spaces only for employees. While the developers say new roadworks would cater for the additional traffic for the super- market, apart from a traffic im- pact assessment, the local plan itself calls for "an improvement" on the environmental corridor of Triq il-Labour, through the creation of a service road and a planted strip parallel to the car- riageway. The Eurospin supermarket could replace the industrial complex with a ground floor parking area of 6,500sq.m, and a 3,200sq.m supermarket o the first floor. That would cover 55% of the site. By keeping 45% of the site un- developed and limiting heights to 11m instead of the maximum 22-29m allowed, the proponents are promising "large open spaces and aesthetically pleasing mate- rials and design" which will ben- efit the area, at present enclosed by high walls and structures. The supermarket's access point would be from the Aldo Moro road, while a secondary access point linked to Triq il-Labour, will be used solely for scheduled delivery of merchandise. Changes to local plans The project may still be ap- proved if any reference to show- rooms as laid down in the local plan, is 'interpreted' by the Plan- ning Authority to cover any kind of retail development including supermarkets. The developers have not pre- sented a planning control appli- cation to change zoning rules. Other sites such as Qormi's De- catholon complex had obtained rezoning permits for an area earmarked first for warehouses, later an old people's home, and finally for a retail complex. On its part, the Environment and Resources Authority has said that while a supermarket use was not specified within the Grand Harbour Local Plan, it envisaged no significant impacts in terms of land use, given that the area is already fully commit- ted and developed. Still, the ERA position over- looks the cost of designating possible office space for other uses, when elsewhere across Malta the demand for office space puts pressure on other lo- calities. While the proposed super- market will have a lesser visual impact than a five-storey office block, the development of su- permarkets outside town cen- tres may further encourage car use. Indeed the PA's own super- markets policy shows preference for supermarkets located inside or at the edge of town centres, to minimise car use, a policy aimed at encouraging multi-purpose trips and making supermarkets accessible by public transport. Eurospin supermarket site was zoned for offices Offices or supermarkets? Supermarket is being proposed on land zoned for office development in Marsa JAMES DEBONO HERITAGE Malta is objecting to a five-storey development proposed in close proximity to the Ta' Ħaġrat world heritage site, describing it as disrespect- ful to its context. The government agency re- sponsible for the management of museums and heritage sites, including the Ta' Ħaġrat tem- ples, has officially written to the Planning Authority to object to a five-storey devel- opment which would create a large blank party wall over- shadowing the world heritage site. "The development as pro- posed is disrespectful of the context in which it lies and will have a major negative im- pact on Ta' Ħaġrat." Heritage Malta referred to its obligations under the UNES- CO World Heritage Conven- tion which states that protect- ing the context of these site is essential. The proposed development on Triq Santa Marija by J&J Gauci Developments is locat- ed within the Area of Archae- ological Importance, just 22m from the temples. No excava- tions are being proposed. But photomontages request- ed by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage seem to confirm that the development will have a marked visual im- pact when seen from the tem- ples, due to the creation of a large blank party wall over- looking the temples. Although the development conforms to existing policies which allow 16.3m-high devel- opment in the area, new guide- lines introduced in 2020 re- quire developers to assess the impact of their proposals on nearby historical monuments at an early stage, through the submission of photomontag- es showing the impact on the surrounding streetscape. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage is also warn- ing that the development will severely impact on existing views and vistas from the Ta' Ħaġrat Temples and is there- fore strongly objecting to the development. The SCH called on the developers to consider- ably reduce the volume of the proposed project so as not to impact on views as seen from Ta' Ħaġrat. Heritage Malta says Ta' Hagrat block is 'disrespectful' "The development as proposed is disrespectful of the context in which it lies and will have a major negative impact on Ta' Ħaġrat." Photomontage of the proposed block towering over the Ta Hagrat temples