Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1479881
NEWS 12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 SEPTEMBER 2022 Transport Malta clears way for Luqa mosque JAMES DEBONO TRANSPORT Malta has issued its clearance for the construc- tion of a mosque in Luqa's in- dustrial estate, on condition that the height, including any symbol and antenna, is limited to 15 me- tres from ground level, clearing the one major stumbling block for the development to be ap- proved by the Planning Au- thority. TM had objected to the origi- nal plans because its 21m-high minaret would have impinged on the MIA runway's obsta- cle-free buffer zone, as well as because of the glare from a gold-cladded mosque that could disorient pilots. Revised plans reduced the height of the minaret to 15m and removed the gold cladding with beige plastering. Transport Malta had not ob- jected to a previous application on the same site for the develop- ment of a cultural hub for a the- atre, external performance space and rehearsal spaces for Maltese bands, approved by the Planning Authority in 2020. The project was later shelved and incorporated in a proposed arts and cultural complex in Marsa proposed by Festivals Malta. The mosque, and its meeting and administrative offices, are proposed on a 2,142sq.m plot in Luqa's industrial estate, of- fered to the Islamic Solidarity Malta organisation, instead of their temporary site of worship at Knights-era Ospizio in Hay- wharf, which has been used for prayers since 2016. The 2016 agreement was reached after Muslims started to gather in Msida outside the church parvis, after having been evicted from several meeting places around the island due to a lack of planning permits. A re- quest to change the use of a large garage in Santa Venera for wor- ship had also been denied. The need for a second mosque has been a pressing one for the past years as the number of Muslims, both foreign and Mal- tese nationals, has grown in the past years. JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority is set to renew a permit for the con- struction of 88 apartments and 93 garages on 6,200 square me- tres of green, open space on the Kalkara valley slope. The permit is set to expire in January 2023. The application is now being recommended for approval by the case officer, in the absence of a report providing a justifica- tion for the favourable recom- mendation. A PA spokesperson confirmed with MaltaToday that since the application is be- ing assessed through the sum- mary process, no case officer report is being prepared. Renewal applications are list- ed in planning law among the kinds of developments which can be exempted from the full application process. Apart from renewal applications, these in- clude minor applications like swimming pools and blocks of less than 16 apartments located within the development zone and outside the urban conserva- tion area. By law 'summary' applications are decided within 42 days, and are determined by the chairper- son of the Planning Board or his delegate, within six weeks from the publication of the applica- tion. In this case developer Law- rence Fino chose to file the ap- plication through the summary process after withdrawing a pre- vious application submitted in May requiring the full process. Yet even when a developer files an application under the sum- mary procedure, the PA can still choose to apply the full proce- dure. By law this is done when representations are received within the consultation peri- od and the chairperson of the Planning Board or his delegate deems such representations car- ry planning merits. In such cases the application would then undergo the entire planning process and not be de- cided summarily. In this case 11 objections were filed by a number of residents, including Moviment Graffitti, reporting the loss of a massive open space which includes old carob and pomegranate trees. The land in question was con- troversially included in devel- opment zones in 2002 despite protests by residents. Fino's ap- plication was approved in 2012 despite opposition by the local council, and renewed through the full application process in 2017. On that occasion the appli- cation was renewed with the condition that neighbouring properties are surveyed before commencement of works, since several safety issues were raised with regards to excavation works because of the alleged presence of wells, hallows, and caves in the area. The condition will still stand if the permit is re- newed. In the absence of changes to policy and local plans or the issue of conservation orders, renewal permits are normally approved but there have been cases where these were not granted. One notable case involved the PA's refusal of the renewal of a permit issued in 2011 for a new cemetery in Pembroke which was still turned down because a new policy introduced in 2014 banned the development of new cemeteries. Since 2012, the only significant change in policies was the ap- proval of the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Develop- ment, which includes a number of generic policies to protect townscapes. When last renewed in 2017 the case officer simply mentioned the Strategic Plan (SPED) in passing, but made no attempt to assess the development accord- ing to the new policy limiting an analysis of what is permitted by the local plans which have not been changed since the first per- mit was issued. PA set to renew massive Kalkara development again