Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1495870
8 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 MARCH 2023 JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority will on Thurs- day approve a seven-storey high contem- porary building on the corner between Msida Road and Enrico Mizzi Street in Gżira, recommended for approval by the PA's case officer. The bulky development will replace both the existing Gasanmamo Insur- ance building, and an adjacent residen- tial block facing the old Stadium, and another block on Enrico Mizzi Street. The new building will have seven over- lying floors of offices, with a three-sto- rey basement parking for 57 cars. The PA had already approved the development on a smaller site back in 2019 but now it is being extended to in- corporate a former residential block. The site is opposite the excavated plot for the proposed 33-storey high Me- tropolis tower, and is characterised by a row of uniform blocks of unremarkable post-war architecture – the PA's case officer remarked the building lacked any architectural merits worth preserv- ing. But the Superintendence for Cultur- al Heritage called for the integration of the existing building's facade within the proposed development, due to its historical importance in "defining" this part of Gzira. The PA's planning directorate con- cluded that "a symmetrical design" was required in order to render the corner building a landmark one. The new building, designed by archi- tect Malcolm Xuereb, will retain the round-shaped façade which charac- terises the present Gasanmamo build- ing, and although bulkier will not be substantially higher than the present building. The case officer concludes that as proposed, the new building will "complement the ongoing changes to the Gzira-Msida skyline" making it "a destination of choice" as a business hub. The case officer also commended the high-quality design of the proposed building, whose last floor will charac- terised by a cantilever that provides a clear termination to the building and "a high-quality outdoor space for the users of the building itself." jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Gasanmamo headquarters to expand on neighbouring block Proposed development for Gzira insurance block commended by PA case officer who dismisses heritage watchdog call to integrate postwar facades of former residential blocks Farmland added in infamous 2006 extension of building zones seeks permit for 51 new dwelling units Photomontage of the extention proposed for the Gasanmamo Insurance building JAMES DEBONO 51 new dwelling units and nine shops are being proposed on 1,890sq.m of farmland along Triq iż-Żejtun in Ħal-Għaxaq. The site of the proposed development is on agricultural land, opposite a row of two-storey townhouses and 300m away from the scheduled Villa Mekrech. The plot forms part of a larger 4,600sq.m plot of agricul- tural land added to the development zone in 2006. The development, proposed by Thomas and Emanuel Mifsud of E&TM Company Limited, is being proposed over three full floors and a receded floor. The application envisages the excavation of two basement levels for 68 garages, nine retail shops, ten maisonettes and one apartment at ground floor level, 20 apartments on first floor level and 20 apartments on the second and receded floor levels. A number of swimming pools are also being proposed on the receded floor level. A zoning application approved in 2011 had established a height at two floors and a three-course basement, which according to Annex 2 of the 2015 design policies translates to a 12.3m height. Ghaxaq 'rationalisation' farmland eyed for 51 flats